Row Your Boat

The trial against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky begins with jury selection this morning in the small town of Bellefonte, Pa., about 12 miles north of State College. As of 10:30 a.m., four jurors were dismissed for personally knowing Sandusky, the 68-year-old charged with sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years.

For the alleged victims, the beginning of the trial means the end of months of carefully orchestrated anonymity: Motions filed by the alleged victims lawyers requesting the they be allowed to testify under pseudonyms were denied Monday.

“In his ruling,” reported the Patriot-News, “[Judge] Cleland says that the defense had no objection to the request, however prosecutors warned the accusers that their motions … had no legal basis.”

But that’s not entirely true.

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My new article for Philly Weekly, which rounds up this misleading argument as well as 2 other reasons the Sandusky jury will be biased against the alleged victims because of going to trial here in Pennsylvania. 

NO hyperlink in the world will work, so sorry,  but here: http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/phillynow/2012/06/05/“no-legal-basis”-for-protecting-alleged-victims’-identity-in-jerry-sandusky-trial-is-misleading/