Legally Speaking: Jodi Arias retrial on schedule, jury specifics given

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

The retrial of the penalty phase in State v. Jodi Arias is still on track to start jury selection on Sept. 29.

The court has calendared the trial to last through the first part of December with breaks in October and November for holidays and presumably school schedules.

Although Jodi Arias waived her presence in the latest court hearing, her attorneys, with Kirk Nurmi in the lead position, continued to work on, and argue over, the questionnaire that will be given to the potential jurors.

The questions are sealed from public view and for good reason. All parties are trying to keep the jury selection as fair as possible and keeping the questions sealed furthers that goal. The questionnaire is one of the first steps in jury selection and will contain many probing questions jurors will answer before being questioned in the courtroom.

If things go as planned on Sept. 29, three panels of 100 jurors each will be called in and brought up to the courtroom to be questioned and either rejected or accepted for the jury.

With that being said, it should also be pointed out that nothing in the State v. Jodi Arias case goes as planned.