Race, gender, fame all issues as Cosby jury selection starts

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers in Bill Cosby's sex assault case this week hope to find a dozen jurors and six alternates willing to be sequestered nearly 300 miles (482 kilometers) from home.

The case has attracted worldwide publicity that the judge hopes to shield from jurors when the trial begins June 5 in suburban Philadelphia. Jurors are being chosen in Pittsburgh starting Monday. The case is expected to last about two weeks.

Trial consultant Howard Varinsky says people often are too eager to serve on juries in celebrity trials. He expects consultants to ponder every "micro-expression" they make as lawyers examine their race, age, gender, occupation and interests.

The 79-year-old Cosby is accused of drugging and molesting a college basketball team manager in 2004. Cosby says the contact was consensual.

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