- Wednesday was the third day of jury selection for the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial in Manhattan.
- Dozens of potential jurors were questioned about their ability to be impartial.
- The selection process includes moments of anguish and laughter for those summoned to the courtroom.
There are moments of anguish. And a surprising amount of laughter.
Throughout the week, a random assortment of New Yorkers filed in and out of a federal courtroom in Manhattan after receiving juror summonses for USA v Sean Combs.
Each prospective juror — nearly 100 people, with doctors, school teachers, clerks, and retirees among them — was warned that the eight-week trial would involve evidence of alleged sexual trafficking and violence.
They've all also been asked to describe any personal trauma that could trigger a bias against the rapper, who has maintained his innocence.
"It takes a lot of healing," one woman told the judge of being nearly raped three years ago by a stranger in the Bronx.
Despite these harrowing moments — and the potential life sentence hanging over the millionaire music mogul — there have also been many moments of levity during jury selection, which is expected to conclude Friday.
Laughter has broken out in the otherwise somber courtroom more than a dozen times, including from Combs himself.
Here are some of those lighter moments.
A Tolkien gesture
"I read through the people and places list, which is several pages long," US District Judge Arun Subramanian told the parties before the first 30 prospective jurors filed into his courtroom Monday.
"I felt like I was reading an appendix from, like, 'The Lord of the Rings," cracked Subramanian, who is presiding over the trial.
The judge was referencing a printed list of more than 200 names that was handed to each prospect. It includes every name that may be referenced during the trial, Kanye West and Kid Cudi among them.
The list includes stumpers, such as "Mike Myers." Four people close to the trial — who were not allowed to comment by name — were unable to confirm if this was the actor of "Shrek" and Austin Powers fame. One thought it "probably" was, but could not describe the context.
No Altoids for you
During a break in jury selection Monday, Combs' jury selection consultant, Linda Moreno, was returning to her seat at the defense table directly in front of Combs' seat.
Combs gestured at the little tin of Altoids she carried, as if to ask for a mint. Moreno began opening the tin. Then her eyes met those of two federal marshals who sat directly behind Combs.
The marshals slowly shook their heads, "No," in unison, the tin remained shut, and Moreno took her seat again.
Harry Potter and the purloined merch
Each prospective juror is asked whether they or any significant person in their life has had any contact with law enforcement.
On Monday, this question prompted a former parochial school teacher from the Bronx to admit to her juvenile shoplifting record.
"Um, I was at Universal Studios," she began. "I think I was in Harry Potter World. So, they took me to the back and, um, they kind of, like, put me through all the process."
She was 16, and a lawyer eventually got the case reduced to "just a fine," she told the judge with an embarrassed-sounding laugh. Many of the defense lawyers and prosecutors couldn't resist smiling. Combs, too, smiled.
Then the judge broached the question on everyone's mind.
"OK," he asked, as if eliciting a formal confession. "What did you take?"
"A wand," she answered.
As of Wednesday, the woman remained a contender for the jury.
Juror No. 420
"I'm going to order you not to use marijuana during this trial," the judge told a prospective juror who works as a landlord in the Bronx — and who said he partakes nightly. "Are you going to be able to follow that instruction?"
As smiles flickered through the courtroom, the judge probed further, asking, "Would that be hard for you?"
"Yes," came the answer from the witness box.
"It would be?" the judge pressed.
"Yep."
The prospective juror was excused from service.
The 51-year-old K-Pop stan
Prospective jurors were told to avoid media reports about Combs' case and inform the judge if they had heard anything about it.
One 51-year-old nurse practitioner said she had.
"I became aware because this is my second day, so you told us about the case," she told the judge.
The room erupted in laughter.
The woman later said that her media diet consisted almost exclusively of nurse practitioner trade publications. She also listens to rock and hip-hop, and appears to be a member of the BTS Army.
"I'm actively watching the concert of the group called BTS, or Bangtan Boys," she said.
The judge's pal
Subramanian had the chance to bask in the praise of one prospective juror, an attorney who said he had personally known the judge for a decade.
The prospective juror said the two had worked together on class-action cases. (Before becoming a federal judge in 2023, Subramanian was an attorney at Susman Godfrey, where he was involved in numerous antitrust cases.)
"He is fair, he is gregarious, he is decent, and he's brilliant," he said, ladling plaudits upon the judge. "But we have not always agreed on everything."
Subramanian ultimately dismissed him.
The guy who skipped questions because he was tired after binge-watching 'Andor'
The courtroom was enraptured by one prospective juror, a 64-year-old Black man who works as an X-Ray technician.
He recounted past interactions with law enforcement, including the time he once "got into a scuffle" after a misunderstanding in a laundromat, and another occasion where a police officer accused him of failing to be helpful.
Subramanian said the man appeared to have omitted details on his written questionnaire. Asked about it, the prospective juror said he was tired because he had sleep apnea and was up late binge-watching "Andor," the new "Star Wars" show on Disney+.
"What are you going to do when you are selected as a juror and not be able to binge 'Andor?'" Subramanian asked.
"It's finished, I'm finished with it," the prospective juror assured the judge.
Subramanian moved him along to the next round.
Diddy's jailer
One of the last prospective jurors was on the stand for a short time after explaining where he worked.
"I work at MDC Brooklyn," he said, referring to the federal jail where Combs is incarcerated.
There was an awkward pause in the courtroom as everyone digested what he had just said. And then laughter.
"Can we get longer visiting hours?" Agnifilo asked.
"Are you in charge of that?" Subramanian asked the 20-something-year-old prospective juror, who was wearing a green hoodie.
"Nope," the prospective juror answered.
He was dismissed for cause.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.
