Jurors in Diddy's sex trafficking and racketeering case will be sharing some of their TV viewing habits with the federal government, if prosecutors get their way. On Friday (April 25), both sides in the case filed new versions of their proposed juror questionnaires, and the government's asked about whether prospective jurors enjoy the exploits of Olivia Benson and company.
The government's new set of of 38 queries for jurors (following an initial draft earlier this month) is, the document claims, an attempt to suss out "possible reasons why you might not be able to sit as a fair and impartial juror in this case."
A multi-part query at the end directs the judge to ask each possible juror a number of questions about his or her background. Among the questions are: "what television programs the juror regularly watches" and "whether the juror watches 'Law and Order,' 'CSI,' or other police dramas."
Diddy's side presented a questionnaire that was much shorter than their original attempt on April 11, which was a 72-question, 27-page document that got pushback from prosecutors for its length.
The new version asks about prospective jurors' "opinions regarding wealthy individuals" and whether they "have an opinion about the hip hop rap music industry or artists in that genre." In addition, it asks whether it would be "difficult" for a juror to hear evidence about "people engaging in sexual relations with multiple sexual partners."
The final version of the questionnaire will be decided before jury selection begins on May 5. Opening arguments are set to start a week later.
