Southern District Judge P. Kevin Castel has a bigger crowd than usual at sidebars during jury selection this week in the latest murder/racketeering trial of John “Junior” Gotti: members of the Fourth Estate. Judge Castel began conducting individual voir dire on Monday, following his usual practice of questioning prospective jurors at sidebar. When a reporter for the New York Post objected, Judge Castel explained that he used the method because he tended to get more honest answers from potential jurors when questioning them at close range.
Because of the presumption that jury selection, like other aspects of a trial, is open to the public, Judge Castel had to shift gears. His solution was to invite the press to stand next to the bench so reporters could hear the questioning. Since then, there have been times when the press has outnumbered the lawyers.
