HARTFORD, Conn. – Lawyers defending former Gov. John Rowland against campaign corruption charges are insistent that, due to publicity, they should get more chances than a typical defendant to reject jurors without stating a reason.
Rowland, who previously served 10 months in federal prison on a conspiracy charge after resigning the governor’s office in 2004, is facing seven new federal charges relating to consulting work the former governor performed in 2012 for 5th Congressional District candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley. That work and Rowland’s $35,000 compensation weren’t reported to election regulators.
Rowland has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 3. But before that, his lawyers and prosecutors will spend more than a week in August selecting a jury to hear the case.
Typically, in a case like Rowland’s, lawyers are allowed 10 passes to dismiss a potential juror without having to explain their reasoning and two additional passes for alternate jurors. The passes are called peremptory challenges.
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