Jury will not be sequestered for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs federal trial
The federal trial of Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs began on May 5th with jury selection. Due to the massive media coverage of Combs before the trial, the defence believes it will be hard to find jurors who haven’t been exposed in some way to the negative press surrounding their client, which may lead to bias.
According to TMZ, the jury was selected after a questionnaire was sent out. Still, the questionnaire suggested that the jury members would not be sequestered, as it read, “There are no plans to sequester the jury, which means you will go home every day after court.”
A sequestered jury is totally isolated during the trial. This would include no access to media for the entirety of the trial to eliminate any potential bias that could arise from reporting. A sequestered jury would have no access to newspapers, television, or the Internet. Unfortunately, despite the media frenzy that has surrounded the case thus far, it appears this will not be the case for the trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Due to the media firestorm surrounding O.J. Simpson’s trial, the case saw a sequestered jury. The jury was isolated for nine months to ensure no bias. As such, it is surprising that the same has not happened for Combs’ federal trial.
Combs is on trial facing charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Moreover, due to his notoriety, there is a media obsession, but jurors will be able to go home after court sessions end.
Although the jury has not been sequestered, the court has urged the members to “avoid all media coverage and not to go on the Internet or social media concerning this case for any purpose.” This reportedly extends to personal connections, prohibiting the discussion of the trial with anyone until the trial is over.
The legal team that accompanied Combs on his first day in court included Marc Agnifilio, Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro, as well as Xavier R. Donaldson, Teny Geragos and Young Thug’s former attorney Brian Steel.