On Tuesday afternoon, in a courthouse in downtown Manhattan, a federal judge listened closely as a bunch of prospective jurors explained why they might be unable to serve in the splashy trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the erstwhile on-paper billionaire who made a name for himself launching the crypto exchange FTX in 2019.
There were the usual excuses, according to coverage by reporter Matthew Russell Lee: a honeymoon coming up, some unmissable meeting, issues with child care. There were people who simply harbored too many preconceived notions to remain impartial and those who fretted, understandably, that their boss would be displeased if they missed so many weeks of work, civic duty be damned. And then there was Prospective Juror No. 83, who brought up a much broader fear.
Read Full Article »