Lehrmann rape trial jury may face questioning on prior case knowledge

Before a rape trial can begin in earnest, the law must first ask whether justice itself has already been compromised. Bruce Lehrmann, 31, is set to face a Queensland court in November on charges of twice raping a woman in 2021 — but the preliminary question now before the court is whether the public conversation surrounding his name has so saturated potential jurors that an impartial verdict remains possible. In invoking a rarely-used provision of the Jury Act, prosecutors are not merely managing procedure; they are tending to the foundational promise that every accused person faces a jury of