Weinstein's lawyers, who floated similar concerns in a losing effort to move the trial in October, said a “carnival-like atmosphere” has taken hold during eight days of jury selection, making it impossible for Weinstein to get a fair trial in his hometown. Moving to a smaller community with a smaller jury pool would only make it more difficult to find jurors, they added. Friedman declined a request from Weinstein’s lawyers to halt the trial until the panel rules. Last week, Weinstein's lawyers tried and failed to get jury selection halted for a “cooling off” period after Los Angeles prosecutors announced charges against him there on the first day of the New York City trial. Hadid was at the courthouse for a matter of minutes Thursday before being cut from the list of potential jurors, shaking hands with a court officer on her way out.

Source: ABC News January 16, 2020 14:26 UTC