Oregon Standoff Defendants Concerned About Whether They Can Get Fair Trial

Fifteen-hundred may not be enough.

That's how many prospective jurors Federal Judge Anna Brown plans to call for the trial of 26 defendants charged in connection with the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

In a hearing Wednesday, lawyers for many of the defendants raised issues ranging from media coverage to community attitudes in letting the judge know they had doubts about whether their clients will be able to get a fair trial in Portland.

"The nature of the media coverage is so fundamentally different than what we normally see,'' the lawyer for Jason Patrick, Andrew Kohlmetz said.

One lawyer suggested having the jury pool be drawn from the Pendleton area and Ryan Bundy, who is representing himself, said the case should be tried where the alleged crimes occurred.

Judge Brown pointed out that drawing the jury pool from the state's northwest quadrant would guarantee a diverse pool because it's not just Multnomah County.

She also said that if all the defendants chose to go on trial at the same time - some have indicated they are considering waiving their right to a speedy trial - the courtroom might have to be reconfigured to accommodate all of the defendants, their lawyers, the press, and the public.

She even suggested the possibility of seating the public in a separate room, which defense lawyers objected to, saying it needs to be a public trial.

In other news:

Two of the defendants - Duane Ehmer and Jason Patrick - told the judge that they were considering representing themselves;

The judge informed the courtroom that she had received threats. That can in response to Patrick saying he had been threatened by a marshal, something that the judge had said she had never heard of having happened.

The judge will start hearing arguments on motions on May 19.