'Part of the system'

A reminder from Juror No. 1052 here two and a half mostly tedious weeks into jury selection:

Public defender Alan Fanter, John Couey's defense attorney, asked the middle-aged white man with  glasses and a moustache what he thought when he was called for jury duty, especially considering the seriousness of the list of charges in this case.

"I guess I'm trying to put myself in his position," the man said, "and I would want a fair trial."

"This is part of the system," he said.

"Some would say we're wasting a lot of time," Fanter said. "But some would say that's a fair trade-off to protect somebody's rights."

No. 1052 nodded his head yes.

-- Michael Kruse