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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document615_ Filed 02/24/22 Page 37 of 49
The defendant also argues that the Court and the parties would have “probed” Juror 50
about whether he was able to “set aside his own traumatic experience” when evaluating whether
the Government met its burden of proof. (Def. Mem. at 44). Juror 50 confirmed both in writing
and during oral voir dire that he could “[a]bsolutely” “decide the case based on the facts and
evidence, or lack of evidence, [] presented in court.” Nov. 16, 2021 Tr. at 130:12-16; see id. at
131:1-7 (stating that he had “[n]o doubt” that he “could decide the case based on the facts and
evidence, or lack of evidence, here presented in court”); see also Def. Ex. 1, Questions 13 & 41.
There is no need for any further inquiry on this subject, beyond perhaps reaffirming that Juror 50
was truthful when he stated that he could decide the case based on the facts and evidence presented
in court.
Finally, the defendant claims that the Court and the parties would have specifically inquired
as to whether Juror 50 was able to fairly evaluate Dr. Loftus’s testimony and impartially assess the
defendant’s “defense that her accusers’ memories were unreliable and tainted by money and
manipulation.” (Def. Mem. at 44). This claim is belied by the voir dire record. The Court did not
ask jurors who answered Question 48 in the affirmative such follow up questions, and rightly so.
The purpose of voir dire is not to educate prospective jurors on the defense theories of the case or
to determine if prospective jurors agree with such theories or would credit specific, as-yet-uncalled
witnesses. Instead, the purpose of voir dire is to “screen individuals who are unable to sit in a fair
and impartial manner.” United States v. Pirk, 1S Cr. 142 (EAW), 2018 WL 1027441, at *4
(W.D.N.Y. Feb. 21, 2018); see also United States v. Barnes, 604 F.2d 121, 138 (2d Cir. 1979)
(“[T]he purpose of the voir dire is to ascertain disqualifications, not to afford individual analysis
in depth to permit a party to choose a jury that fits into some mold that he believes appropriate for
his case.” (quotation marks and citation omitted)). Accordingly, it is clear that the Court would
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00009156.jpg |
| File Size | 735.5 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.1% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,227 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:42:10.036467 |