Jury selection begins in Edwards case

GREENSBORO, N.C., April 12 (UPI) -- Jury selection began Thursday in the federal campaign finance law violations trial of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.

One hundred prospective jurors heard a 30-minute introduction from U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles in Greensboro before being shuttled into a private room to fill out questionnaires, The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported.

"This is not a case about whether Mr. Edwards is a good husband or a good politician," Eagles told said. "But this is a case about whether Mr. Edwards violated campaign law."

Jury selection, which was expected to take a week, began nearly a year after a grand jury handed down a six-count indictment accusing Edwards of conspiring to violate campaign finance laws and accepting illegal contributions.

Edwards, 58, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, faces six counts of criminal violations of campaign finance law for using nearly $1 million in contributions from two donors to hide Rielle Hunter, who was pregnant with his child during his 2008 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Last month, federal prosecutors granted immunity to Hunter, meaning she cannot face criminal charges for anything she says during Edwards' trial.

Valerie Hans, a Cornell University law professor who has written extensively on the American jury system, said striking a jury in the Edwards' case could be tough because politics is at its core.

"I am not sure I know who would be a good juror in this case for either side," Hans told the newspaper.