Sex Trial Jury Proceedings, With Guest Star Steven Soderbergh

It's really hard to joke about a sex trial where a female Manhattan Montessori school teacher is accused of the statutory rape and sodomy and two teenage boys, but based on the NY Times' article about juror selection, it seems there are moments of levity.

Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman is presiding over the case of Lina Sinha, who allegedly had sex with pupils who were 12 and 13 years old; one of the victims is now a police officer, who says their affair lasted for years. You may remember Berkman, as she was the judge in the Paul Cortez murder trial (she was very annoyed that Cortez's lawyer didn't show up). The Times reports that Sinha's lawyer, Gerald Shargel, "expressed a mild hope that the judge would be flexible." To which Berkman replied, "Mr. Shargel, I take yoga and Pilates. I’m quite flexible.” Huh. That's kind of TMI, and yet Berkman said. "I’m nothing like that judge in Miami."

One of the prospective jurors was Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. He was dismissed, because he's apparently prepping his film about Che Guevara, Guerilla. The Times reports that he "maintained a poker face" during proceedings and was carrying a book about Lenin. It's Celebrity Juror Stalker!