Bill Cosby Case: Judge Will Rule Wednesday On Releasing Juror Identities

NORRISTOWN, PA — At a hearing on Tuesday afternoon at the Montgomery County Courthouse, lawyers for several media organizations argued that the identities of the jurors in the recent Bill Cosby trial should be made publicly available. Judge Steven T. O'Neill said that he would rule on the case on Wednesday morning.

Cosby's case was declared a mistrial over the weekend after jurors deliberated for 52 hours and were unable to come up with a verdict. He had been charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand, 44, the first of his many accusers to bring criminal charges against him.

Lawyers for several media organizations, including ABC and CBS, argued on Tuesday that nothing was stopping jurors from contacting the media after the case, and that this would not affect Cosby's potential future prosecution.

Both the prosecution and defense, meanwhile, both want the jurors names to remain private so that the jury pool for the retrial will remain unbiased, according to a Fox News report.

Media organizations, meanwhile, think the public has a right to know how close the jury came to reaching a verdict.

Cosby, 79, has since been released and is free on bail pending his new trial. The judge will announce a new trial date within the next four months.

Read more coverage of the Cosby case:

>>Identity Of Jurors In Bill Cosby Case Could Be Made Public Tuesday

>>Bill Cosby Mistrial: What's Next?

Image via Montgomery County DA's Office