Judicial Inquisition

Prospective jurors in the Rodney King trial get the third degree

FOR MOST AMERICANS, JURY DUTY FALLS SOMEwhere between civic responsibility and a pain in the neck. For the 12 people who hear the federal trial of four Los Angeles police officers in the case of black motorist Rodney King, it's likely to be a life-altering ordeal. In a Los Angeles federal court, 333 prospective panelists spent their first day filling out a 53-page document asking 148 separate questions. It seeks, along with much other information, their reactions to last year's riots and their feelings about police and race relations. The Justice Department assured confidentiality, but one juror demanded that presiding U.S....

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