Jury selection talks kept secret by the judge

The hearing to decide which potential jurors to dismiss "for cause" in the Conrad Murray trial was moved behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon, shutting out the public from what the judge described "confidential discussions."

"While they will be on the record, the record will remain confidential until the court rules otherwise," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said before leaving the courtroom with lawyers from each side.

Murray's lawyers and Los Angeles County prosecutors will argue over which of 145 potential jurors should be dismissed from the jury pool "for cause," a process designed to remove anyone with a bias they cannot put aside.

Both sides met before Wednesday's hearing to reach common ground on potential jurors they both deem unfit to hear the case.

"There's a fair number we agreed," Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told the court.

"Another session of "for cause" discussions will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. to complete the process, Judge Pastor said.

The potential jurors remaining in the pool will gather in court Friday for face-to-face questioning by the lawyers. It is expected 12 jurors and at least four alternates will be chosen by the end court Friday.

The "for cause" strikes will be based mostly on written answers potential jurors gave to 113 questions earlier this month.

Opening statements for the trial, which will be televised, are scheduled for September 27. The judge told members of the jury pool he expects their service will be over on or about October 28.

Full transcript of the hearing at teammichaeljackson.com

MJFS - source: cnn.com