Lawyer in Terrorism Case: Hard to Find Unbiased Jurors Due to Trump-Fueled Islamophobia

Back in March, Vietnamese man Minh Quang Pham was extradited from the United Kingdom to the U.S. and pled not guilty to terrorism charges in a New York court.

Pham has been charged with providing material support to al-Qaeda and receiving training from the terrorist group, even allegedly swearing an oath of allegiance to them.

Well, now his New York case is on the jury selection process, and according to both The New York Times and the Associated Press, his lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said it will be hard to get unbiased jurors because of Donald Trump.

Why? Because, as Sternheim wrote in a court filing, “His statements have become a rallying cry inciting public fear of Muslims and the desire to ostracize and marginalize the followers of Islam. The defense believes that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to seat a truly impartial New York City jury in the current climate of Islamophobia and hatred of Muslims.”

She is pushing for additional screening for potential jurors with the goal of “rooting out prejudice and bias.”

The Times obtained a response from U.S. attorney Preet Bharara, who said it was an unnecessary move, amongst other concerns:

The government also cited the risk that a lawyer, addressing prospective jurors directly, might ask a “legally improper question,” or that through the process, jurors might “establish a rapport with a particular attorney.”

“The court’s questioning of the jurors maintains the jurors’ role as neutral arbiters of the facts,” Mr. Bharara’s office wrote. The government’s filing did not address or even mention Mr. Trump’s statements.

[image via screengrab]

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