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Four African Americans Chosen for Cosby Jury
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
PITTSBURGH—After a third day of the jury selection process Bill Cosby criminal trial, all 12 jurors have been chosen. It was a day filled with high-drama and even several outbursts of laughter by the embattled comedian and others.
Also, six alternate jurors were chosen for the trial that’s scheduled to begin on June 5 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 300 miles from where the selection process took place.
Two members of the primary panel are African-American, a man and a woman both in their 30s or 40s. A male black in his 20s and a female African-American in her 20s were also selected as alternates.
While the primary panel consists of 10 Whites—seven men and three women—the alternate jury pool includes four Whites.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, civil rights activist, Rev. Jesse Jackson said juror suppression has been a tool of the United States justice system for centuries.
“The jury may determine the outcome even before coming to court,” Jackson said. “Our history includes the killers of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers; a jury set those killers free. There’s a court bias and African-Americans don’t have access to the jury pool [like Whites].”
Cosby has been charged with three counts of sexual assault, which stem from an alleged incident more than a decade ago at his home near Philadelphia.
The star faces 10 years in prison if he’s convicted.
After Cosby’s legal team objected on Tuesday to prosecutors striking an African-American woman, an otherwise quiet proceeding grew contentious.
“We believe this is systematic exclusion of African-Americans,” defense lawyer Brian McMonagle complained in lodging the challenge to the striking of the juror and citing a legal term known as a “Batson challenge.”
According to the Legal Information Institute (LII) at the Cornell Law School, a Baston challenge is, “An objection to the validity of a peremptory challenge, on grounds that the other party used it to exclude a potential juror based on race, ethnicity, or sex. The result of a Batson challenge may be a new trial.”
The LII continued: “The name comes from Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986) – which held this type of peremptory challenge to be unconstitutional when used by criminal prosecutors. Another case, Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete, 500 U.S. 614 (1991), permitted private litigants in a civil case to successfully make the same kind of objection.”
On Wednesday, drama filled the courtroom when a potential juror admitted to posting a note on Facebook and communicating with someone, who identified themselves as a seated juror. Judge Steven O’Neill, visibly angry, repeatedly asked the man whether the person in question was really a seated juror and whether he or she was in the jury room.
O’Neill then retreated to his chambers with attorneys from both sides and, after 40 minutes, reemerged to say that juror no. 2 had been dismissed, because of a personal issue.
It’s not known whether the already seated juror was the individual who traded Facebook posts. The judge had previously made it clear that jurors were not to post anything about the case or whether they were selected on social media or anywhere else.
The courtroom burst into laughter when one potential juror, a White man in his 60s or 70s, complained of having ulcerative colitis and said serving would present an undue hardship, because of his diet and propensity for needing a bathroom at a moment’s notice.
The comedian held his head in his face and could barely contain his laughter as the judge, attorneys and reporters all laughed. “I’ve been married 45 years, longer than some prison sentences for murder,” the older man quipped, again bringing Cosby to laughter.
Cosby’s attorney called the older man the, “second funniest man in the room.”
After the session ended, Cosby addressed the media to thank the people of Allegheny County. He said he had performed at the nearby Heinz Theater.
Defense attorneys and prosecutor Kevin Steele said they were appreciative of the jurors, but Cosby’s team clearly wasn’t happy with the way potential African-American panelists were handled, as many were given high numbers, which meant that they were either forced to wait much longer to be vetted or dismissed outright.
“I am glad we are passed this nonsense about the optics of the jury,” Steele said. “It’s a terrific jury made up of people of all demographics.”
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OP-ED: How Does Your State Rank for Pre-K?
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “Other states should take note: Georgia proves that state-funded preschool with well-qualified teachers, pay parity with K-12, small classes, and strong continuous improvement systems can be scaled as a universal program,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “With new initiatives to support quality, Georgia can expect increased enrollment, but leaders should also actively promote increased enrollment.”
Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recently recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook. The yearbook provides an annual snapshot of state-funded preschool across the country. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia fund preschool programs.
Only five additional states meet all 10 of NIEER’s research-based benchmarks for quality —Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island—in this year’s report. None of those programs have the reach of Georgia Pre-K. NIEER’s benchmarks measure essential preschool quality indicators, including teacher qualifications, class sizes, early learning standards, and program assessments.
“Other states should take note: Georgia proves that state-funded preschool with well-qualified teachers, pay parity with K-12, small classes, and strong continuous improvement systems can be scaled as a universal program,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “With new initiatives to support quality, Georgia can expect increased enrollment, but leaders should also actively promote increased enrollment.”
Nationally, state support for preschool education hit record highs in enrollment and funding in 2024-2025. The pace of growth slowed, however, compared to the prior year, and many states continue to lag behind pre-pandemic enrollment levels. Preschool enrollment increased by 44,000 children nationally, reaching almost 1.8 million, including 37% of U.S. four-year-olds and 9% of three-year-olds. California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri contributed the most to increased enrollment, adding more than 52,000 new seats.
States spent nearly $14.4 billion on preschool in 2024-2025. Including federal and local dollars, total spending was almost $17.7 billion. Three states each spent more than $1 billion last year: California ($4.1 billion), New Jersey ($1.2 billion), and New York ($1 billion). Together, these three states account for 45% of all state preschool spending. Texas adds almost another $1 billion.
Spending increased by $434 million, or 3%, adjusted for inflation. Twenty-eight states increased preschool funding, including Michigan and New Jersey, which each added more than $100 million. “Not only does preschool access vary by which state a child happens to live in, but so does the quality of that preschool experience,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, lead author of the report. “Only high-quality early care and education programs support children’s development enough to result in lasting academic and other gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers.”
A record six states met all 10 of NIEER’s recommended quality standards, with Alabama doing so for the 20th consecutive year. Georgia joined this list this year after improving its teacher-to-child ratio from 1:11 to 1:10 and lowering maximum class sizes to 20. Several states met 9 of 10 benchmarks, including New Mexico, which is working toward universal access for both three- and four-year-olds. Once New Mexico requires all lead teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, it will be on par with Georgia in terms of both quality and quantity.
Not all states moved forward. Twenty states enrolled fewer preschoolers in 2024-2025 than the prior year, with enrollment dropping by more than 1,000 children in Arizona, Florida, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Seventeen states spent less on preschool than the prior year, adjusted for inflation, with Arizona, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas seeing the largest percentage declines. Additional information about the State of Preschool Yearbook, including individual state profiles and maps, graphs, and state rankings, can be found at www.nieer.org.
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