Bill Cosby Jurors To Be Made Public By Judge

NORRISTOWN, PA — A judge made public the names of the jurors in the Bill Cosby mistrial Wednesday after a hearing, according to a court memorandum. While the media will have access to juror identities, the jury is prohibited from disclosing the individual arguments of jurors during the 52 hours of deliberations.

A group of media organizations had brought the case before the court, saying that the public had a right to know the names of the jurors who did not reach a verdict in the Cosby case, which ended last weekend. Lawyers for the media had argued that there was nothing stopping the jurors from coming forward to the media anyway.

Both the defense and the prosecution had urged Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O'Neill to reject the request, believing that it could bias the future jury pool. According to the memorandum published Wednesday, the defense filed a motion that stated releasing juror names could have a "chilling effect" on future jurors.

In his decision Wednesday, O'Neill cited the press' First Amendment right to access juror names. He said the court was bound by legal precedent established in a 2007 Pennsylvania Supreme Court case, Commonwealth v. Long, which allowed the names of jurors to be released.

O'Neill did, however, agree with the prosecution on the "chilling effect" to future jurors and said jurors are prohibited from talking about arguments made or votes cast while deliberating.

The media organizations listed on the notice of joinder requesting the juror names were ABC, the Associated Press, CNN, the New York Times, NBC, Hearst, CBS and Time.

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.

The names will be released once all the jurors are contacted by the court are made aware of the decision. All of the jurors are from Allegheny County, in western Pennsylvania. They spent the duration of the trial sequestered with limited contact with their families.

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