Britney Spears will most likely not be present for any part of her trial for misdemeanor driving without a license. Now that her 12-person jury has been selected, it's already proven to be one of her more sound decisions.
Attorneys and prospective jurors returned to the Van Nuys Courthouse this morning to again question the potential jury, ultimately coming to an agreement on a final panel, most of whom proved yesterday they were not shy about voicing their opinions of the once-troubled pop star.
"I do not like that person," a teacher said when pressed by lawyers.
"It's a slam dunk," added another potential male juror, who works in a restaurant, adding that he believes Spears is wasting taxpayer money by letting the case go to trial. "I think she is guilty."
Opening statements in the case are scheduled to begin at 11:15.
From the sounds of things, Spears' defense has their work cut out for them.
"I'm sure that she's guilty," said another woman, who works as a substitute teacher. "From [what I see in] the media, I cannot be fair. I have bias."
While yet another prospective juror called the trial "ridiculous," at least one seemed sympathetic, saying he blamed the hounding paparazzi, and not the pop star, for the incident.
Despite their seemingly strong disapproval for the 26-year-old "Womanizer" warbler, just one potential juror was excused by Judge James Steele, after admitting an acquaintance with Spears' manager.
Spears, who eschewed a plea deal that would see her avoid jail time as she did not want to cop to the charge, faces a maximum sentence of six months' jail time and a $1,000 fine if convicted.
The charge itself stems from a ding-and-run that took place in a parking lot last August. An X17 paparazzo who caught the incident on tape is on the potential witness list for the case, as is Britney's father, Jamie Spears.
(Originally published Oct. 16, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. PT)