Judge Sedwick at 4pm today was still asking jurors questions. He'd started at 9am and this was continued from yesterday morning. And he still was talking in a very patient and understanding voice as though he hadn't been asking the same questions all day. He manages to be respectful of each juror (and each attorney). He is able to translate the legal jargon into understandable prose without it sounding like he is talking down. He even injects humor now and then without diminishing the seriousness of the situation. He sets up fairly complicated hypotheticals - "I have no idea how the jury will vote, but suppose, theoretically, that they vote Kott not guilty of one or two counts, or all counts, and I'm not saying they will or should happen, would your being on the jury impact your relationships with your law enforcement friends?" - that are painstakingly impartial and easy to understand. I'm very impressed with how he runs the court room.
That said, someone had told me that some attorneys don't like to go to Federal Court because the judge plays such a large role in jury selection. And it is taking a long, long time. But since Weyhrauch was split out of this trial, and they agreed not to begin opening arguments until Monday, there should be plenty of time.
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