Judge Paul G. Byron Runs Jury Selection

Posted on by Thor

Any media inquiries to purchase courtroom sketches should call or
text (407) four five zero-0807. I am out of touch while in the
courthouse. I will get back in touch ASAP.

Jury selection continues in the Noor Salman trial. Noor is accused of aiding and abetting her husband who killed 49 people and injured many more. In the media overflow courtroom we spend a lot of time staring at Judge Paul G. Byron in the video monitors. It is a strange situation that cameras are forbidden in the courtroom, but three cameras are set up to broadcast 3 views of the proceedings to the media in overflow courtroom 3A. No electronics or cameras are allowed in that room, so the only way to record visually what is happening in the main courtroom is to sketch from the video projections. The same questions are asked of each juror to see if they should be excused for cause if they aren’t appropriate for the jury. I noticed the Pulse Nightclub owner take a seat in the back row of the courtroom to watch the proceedings.

Prospective juror 174 had a daughter who was attacked by her father in 2001. Social workers in that case tried to take her children away but she wouldn’t have it. She doesn’t tend to argue but balances all the information rather than rushing to judgment. She remained in the juror pool after questioning.

Prospective juror 176 felt that police sometimes overstep their power. He felt that the Pulse Nightclub massacre was in retaliation for 9-11. He has a friend who served in Afghanistan and was injured by a bomb. Although he claimed bias at every turn, he was kept in the juror pool. I was surprised at how seldom attorneys stepped in to question prospective jurors. The judge asked all the questions.

Prospective juror 156 felt that too many Muslims immigrate to the United States. Some jurors were clearly making statement to get out of jury duty. It is shocking to watch people do anything to avoid their civic responsibility.

The prosecutors during the Noor Salman trial.

Posted on by Thor

Any media inquiries to purchase courtroom sketches should call or
text (407) four five zero-0807. I am out of touch while in the
courthouse. I will get back in touch ASAP.

Jury selection continues for the Noor Salman trial in the Federal Court in downtown Orlando. Periodically, the prosecutors would have to introduce themselves to prospective jurors. Standing, they would announce the names of  Roger Hamberg and Sarah Sweeney, the state’s prosecuting attorneys, and Darryl McCaskill of the FBI. During a lunch break I saw the prosecutors getting food downtown where I was eating, but I decided to keep to myself.

To recap, Noor Salman is the 31 year old widow of the Pulse Nightclub shooter. She is charged with aiding and abetting her husband as he planned the attack. From my seat in the jury box of courtroom 3A, I would watch the attorneys through the long jury selection process. Roger always has a stern expression while the FBI agent always seemed concerned. The prosecutors are tasked with proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Noor is guilty as charged.

Juror 44 had discussed the case with a friend who had served in Iraq. His friend had been injured by an explosive device while in service. He said that soldiers always had to watch the wives of the men in Iraq since they would to anything that their husbands told them. That made the women always a potential threat and they were treated as such. He said that this conversation would influence his decision in the case and he was excused for cause.

Juror 112 worked three jobs and said that a three week trial would be an undue hardship. She too was excused. Juror 113 worked in the court system and that familiarity was another excuse for cause. Juror 91 had a friend who works in a gun range and he remained in the pool of 60 jurors who would later be whittled down to the final 12 plus 6 alternates.

I still hope to find my way into the main courtroom. I was told that if I went in, I would be removed from the courthouse and my press privileges revoked. However Judge Paul G. Byron remarked in his rules for the media that there would be sketch artists (plural) allowed in the courtroom. I need to address the court media people and make final arrangements before things get crazy once the jury selection is over and the witnesses are called in to testify.

Day 2 of the Noor Salman trial.

Posted on by Thor

Courtroom sketches are available to purchase for use by the media. No phones allowed in court. Text or call (407) four five zero – 0807. I will get in touch ASAP after court lets out. 

I woke up bright and early at 6 AM for day 2 of the Noor Slaman Trial. Walking towards the courthouse at 7 AM the rainbow band shell was illuminated a warm orange from the rising sun. I met a reporter from CNN at the front entrance since the courthouse wasn’t open yet. The reporter joked that folks in the courthouse thought he was best friends with Wolf Blitzer. He talked about the media circus for the O.J. Simpson trail and the Boston bombing trial. He seems to feel that this trial will not generate as much interest from national media. Since Noor is the wife of the Pulse Nightclub attacker who was shot and killed, that makes her a secondary character in their eyes. However, being from Orlando myself, this trial is very important.

On day 2 I had my press badge ready and figured I would sketch in courtroom 4B where Judge Paul G. Byron was presiding over jury selection. There are 12 seats reserved for media in that courtroom and one of those seats is reserved for a courtroom artist. I was slated to take that seat but at the last minute, I was replaced by a caricature artist who low balled the price on his sketches. I learned from the CNN guy that on day one the courtroom was fairly empty. There was plenty of seating besides the 12 press seats. I could probably just sit in as a member of the public. If the place got full, I would gladly step out to the press room.

There was a tech issue at the front entry, so getting into the courthouse would take some time. Since I was the second in line, I wasn’t too concerned. Taking off all metal was becoming routine. Right beyond the entry  there was a line of ladies at a table that seemed to be in charge of handing out temporary passes. I asked if I needed to stop there, and I was fine with the pass I already had. I decided however to ask about sketching in the main courtroom. I was told that there was only 1 seat reserved for an artist. I asked if I could just enter as a member of the public. She told me that if I entered the room with art supplies, I would have my press badge revoked and would be evicted from the court house. I don’t get this Machiavellian idea that only one artist can observe a trail. Her in Orlando, there can only be one cowboy at the rodeo. I have seen court cases where close to a dozen Courtroom Sketch Artists sat in a row sketching trials in the past. Oh well. I seem to be the only citizen in Orlando who is not permitted to observe the case from  inside the courtroom because I carry a pencil and paper. I feel a civic responsibility to document this moment in Orlando’s History.

I would have to observe the trail from the media overflow room for a second day. There was a solid hour and a half before the doors opened. I decided I would sketch the entrance to the court house since it would illustrate this article well as a secondary sketch. I was finished with the pencil composition and starting to ink in the sketch when a security guard stopped me. I was told I shouldn’t sketch outside any of the courtrooms. I apologized and put it away. At the security for the press overflow room I was asked to rip the sketch out of my book. I jokingly signed it for him. He had to run it up the chain of command. Later a US Marshall approached me and said the sketch would have to be confiscated. The problem was that I showed the security at the entrance. If someone wanted to, they could use that sketch to possibly find a weakness in the buildings security. I hadn’t though of that as I was happily sketching away. I hope they frame the sketch and keep it. It might be worth something someday. I took all this in good humor. The guard joked with me, “Haven’t you ever heard of ‘don’t treat it like a Federal Case?’ This is where that phrase come from.” I laughed.

I was the first person in the press room. The projection screen showed 3 views of the courtroom. One view was new. It was of the defense table. I was excited. When Noor Salman entered she would sit in the center seat. I immediately started sketching the rough layout of the furniture in pencil so I would be ready when she entered. She entered wearing a black jump suit and she smiled as she talked with her attorney Lisa Moreno. I  mentioned her outfit since it was the first thing that the reporters talked about when they entered the room I was excitedly sketching in. I sketched Noor quickly as she talked animatedly to Lisa. Sketching allows me to crawl inside her head. For the first time she came alive for me. From my comfy jury box seat, I could watch Noor’s every expression. Come Monday, I will continue to focus my attention strictly on her. She tends to spend a lot of time with her head down seeming to draw or take notes.