Potential jurors in Diddy’s sex trafficking and racketeering case might have to reveal what shows they watch, if prosecutors have their way. On Friday (April 25), both sides submitted updated juror questionnaires, with the government asking whether prospects enjoy watching Olivia Benson and her crime-fighting colleagues.
The government’s revised set of 38 questions for jurors (following an earlier draft this month) aims, according to the document, to identify “possible reasons why you might not be able to sit as a fair and impartial juror in this case.”
A multi-part question at the end instructs the judge to ask each potential juror several background questions. These include: “what television programs the juror regularly watches” and “whether the juror watches ‘Law and Order,’ ‘CSI,’ or other police dramas.”
Diddy’s team presented a much shorter questionnaire than their original April 11 submission, which was a mammoth 72-question, 27-page document that prosecutors criticized for its length.
The new version asks about potential jurors’ “opinions regarding wealthy individuals” and whether they “have an opinion about the hip hop rap music industry or artists in that genre.” It also asks if jurors would find it “difficult” to hear evidence about “people engaging in sexual relations with multiple sexual partners.”
The final questionnaire will be locked in before jury selection kicks off on May 5. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin a week later.
