Casey Anthony Trial - Jury Hardship Questioning Continues

Questioning resumes after lunch break.

Juror #1124 (female) Has elderly mother she cares for but says she can probably work things out to serve on jury.  Says she doesn't have transportation for family to come visit, and that would be a hardship. No questions, no objections. Juror excused for hardship.

Juror #1323 (female) Says no hardship for her to serve. Judge explains conditions of sequestration. Mason questions juror:

• Are you in midst of litigation? Yes, divorce related.
• Any medical issues? No.
• Any vacation plans? End of June wedding but doesn't have to attend.
• Parents/children you care for? No.
• Employed? Yes, at hospital, and will compensate during jury duty.
• Religious issues? No.
• Can do without internet for 2 months? Except to pay bills.

Juror not excused for hardship. Sent home, to be recalled for additional questioning at later time.

Juror #1147 (female) Says serving would pose hardship for her. Single mother doing everything on her own. Daughter is 7 mos old. This was easiest so far...no one objects & she's excused.

Juror #1026 (male) Says serving would pose hardship because of his two jobs (stocker at grocery and newspaper carrier). Would not be paid if on jury. Juror excused for hardship.

Juror #1269 (female) Says she's afraid her English isn't good enough to understand testimony. Husband will be out of town first week of June; she needs to be there to care for her mom and children. She's excused for hardship related to language barrier.

Juror #1275 (male) Small business owner (precision machine shop, does classified work for Defense Dept.), says things are tough and it wouldn't work for him to be away. Says his business wouldn't last. Excused for financial hardship.

Juror #1011 (male) Says it would not pose hardship for him. Retired, lives alone. No medical, job or family issues other than being diabetic, but that won't affect ability to serve. Not excused, will return for additional questioning later.

Juror #1271 (female) Says she has issue with her back and has to take muscle relaxers that make her sleepy. Excused without objection.

Juror #1047 (male) Says it will cause hardship to serve. Active duty in military (Coast Guard); will be going to Alaska in two weeks. Excused without objection.

Juror #1244 (male) Leaving for weekend, but will be back Monday. Would not pose hardship to serve, but doesn't know how long employer will pay for him to be out. Judge tells him to find out whether they will pay. If not, would it pose hardship? Yes, with my bills. If compensated by company, could serve? Yes. Cheney Mason questions juror:

• Medical issues? No.
• Caretaker for any family or demanding girlfriends? No.
• Vacation or holiday plans? Yes, but not a problem, can skip it.
• Sequestered, no internet, cell phone, etc. okay? Yes.

Judge instructs juror to check with employer and get back to them on pay issue. UPDATE: Employer will pay for first week, then he has to use PTO days, would impact him financially; could not pay his bills (rent, cell phone, etc.). He's excused w/o objection for financial hardship.

Juror #1277 (female) Says only concern is transportation. Judge advises that's no problem, they'll transport her. Does not get paid by employer during jury service. Says she cannot make it without her pay. Cheney Mason questions juror: 

• Caretaker for family members? No.
• Medical issues? No.
• Vacations? No.
• No computer, internet access okay? Yes.

Juror says again employer will not pay her. Juror leaves room. Mason objects, judge brings her back in and questions her further about financial hardship. In response to judge, says she would lose her auto, evicted from apartment, etc. Mason doesn't want her excused based on her ethnicity. Judge tells him that's not a criteria and not the way it works. She's excused for financial hardship.

Juror #1098 (male) Has flight to San Juan in two weeks with wife to visit family. Says tickets are nonrefundable and will lose money if cancels. No other reasons it would pose hardship, he says. Judge asks if tickets could be rescheduled without financial loss, could he serve? Juror says yes. Judge asks him to check with airlines to see if they'll reschedule without additional charge and get back to them.

Juror #1324(?) (female) Owns her own business, so she wouldn't get paid. She's the only employee of her pet-sitting business. Says her husband works also and while she wouldn't starve, it would be challenging. Says she feels her civic responsibility and wants to fulfill that but doesn't think she and her husband can make it financially through such a long trial. Most of her business is this time of year. Despite Mason's objection, she's excused for financial hardship.

Juror #1062 (male) Owns small family business with two sons; no way he could be away from the business that long. Also has a daughter in nursing home with brain injury; has wheelchair van he uses to take her to doctors appts, etc. Excused without objection.

Judge says they're up to the 23rd juror now. Asks attorneys how many they think they can get up to today. State says 65-70, defense 60-65. Judge says he wants to get through 66 jurors today. Judge will release remainder and contact them between 6pm-8pm tonight with a time to return to court. Brief recess now.

By my count, out of the 22 potential jurors screened for hardship so far, 8 were retained (to be recalled for voir dire later), while 14 were excused (most for financial hardship).