BILL WHITE TRIAL UNDERWAY – WITH AN ALL WHITE JURY

The Roanoke Times has a running blog dedicated to the Bill White court case here, and we are there as well. Still, we have to put this on on our site – an all-white jury. And we ain’t talking Bill’s family, who actually might be even more impartial. When you strike black jurors who support Obama but allow white jurors who do as well, that’s a problem. But this is what we are dealing with. They actually had to think about stiking the juror with the swastika on his leg before they actually did, for Pete’s sake! And if that wasn’t the only thing that was raising an eyebrow, it would be enough. But no, the public has been provided the witness list. Witness for the prosecution: HAL TURNER! We can’t wait to see how they pull this off with his gag order in place! They say this trial will go on for about three weeks, but with Turner’s wrapping up in four days, maybe not. We will be on top of it the entire time through.

Roanoke Times blog entries

‘U.S. v. William A. White’ begins today

For more than a year now, the war of words between William A. White and the government has been one of arcane legal arguments.

Did a racist’s online rants amount to “true threats,” as defined by federal law? Or did the words of White, a neo-Nazi leader, stop short of “inciting or producing imminent lawless action,” and thus fall under the protection of the First Amendment?

When White’s trial begins today in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, the debate over esoteric legalities will no doubt continue. But for the first time since White was charged with making online threats, the court will hear from his victims.

Proceedings begin at 9:30 a.m. with jury selection in the courtroom of Judge James C. Turk in downtown Roanoke. Browse this site for background on the case (which we’ll continue to update), sketches from the courtroom by Roanoke Times artist Rob Lunsford and updates throughout the trial by Roanoke Times enterprise reporter Laurence Hammack.

10:52 am
Jury selection begins as many say they can keep an open mind

Jury selection in the William A. White trial began today with nine potential jurors saying they disapproved so strongly of his neo-Nazi views that they could not render a fair verdict.

“Absolutely. There’s no question,” one woman said. She and the other eight panelists were excused.

Many more people on a panel of more than 60 said they had heard or read about the case, but could keep an open mind.

When asked if they had commitments or medical problems that would prevent them from serving in the trial, which is expected to last about 10 days, another group of hands went up.

“We’re losing too many jurors,” Judge James Turk said at one point.

Jury selection is expected to last through the day.

2:01 pm
Jurors get hints of testimony they may hear in White case

Potential jurors are getting some not-so-subtle hints about the racially charged testimony they may hear.

As jury selection continued into the afternoon, lawyers asked the panelists how they would react to hearing the word n—— from the witness stand.

Some of the prospective jurors, in particular those who are black, recoiled at the word White uses regularly in his online comments, which will be a key part of the prosecution.

“That n-word, I don’t want to hear it,” one woman said.

Of 66 potential jurors called to federal court this morning, about 20 have been excused — either because they said they could not give White a fair trial due to his racist views or because they had plans or medical conditions that prevented them from serving over the next two or three weeks.

Jurors are also being asked about their views on white supremacy, Adolf Hitler and swastikas.

One man said he had a swastika tattooed on his left leg. He was not immediately excused, but may face additional questions as the process drags on.

5:20 pm
All-white jury seated in Roanoke white supremacist trial

A jury has been seated and will begin hearing testimony Thursday in the William A. White case.

After a daylong selection process, 14 jurors — all of them white — were selected to the case. Two will be alternates.

Justice Department lawyer John Richmond objected when the only two black people on a panel of 38 were struck by lawyers for White, an avowed white supremacist.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that jurors cannot be struck based on race alone.

But after hearing from White’s lawyers, Judge James Turk said he was satisfied that they expressed race-neutral reasons in excluding the two blacks.

December 10, 2009
9:41 am
Opening statements begin: ‘What do these people have in common?’

A newspaper columnist, a university administrator. A small-town mayor, a bank employee, a human rights lawyer, a group of apartment tenants.

“What do these people have in common?” federal prosecutor Cindy Chung asked a jury this morning.

“Absolutely nothing. They were not related to each other … except for the defendant, Bill White. Bill White sought out these complete strangers and targeted them with a series of threats and intimidation,” she said.

As the second day of White’s trial began today, Chung is making opening statements — detailing to the jury the actions of a Roanoke-based neo-Nazi leader.