Jurors in Riley Williams Capitol riot trial need to ignore biases, extreme beliefs: judge

• By Jonathan Bergmueller/ PennLive

Is there anyone who hasn’t heard of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.?

That’s the impossible situation facing prosecutors and defense attorneys when choosing a jury in the District of Columbia to hear criminal charges related to the riots nearly two years ago.

Attorneys in federal court on Monday started the process of selecting a jury to try Riley Williams, the Mechanicsburg woman accused of directing the mob inside the Capitol that was trying to stop the transfer of presidential power and stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop on Jan. 6 2021.

Attorneys usually try to pick jurors who have no prior knowledge of the case. But here, that just isn’t possible, so attorneys are aiming for the next best: finding potential jurors without biases who could set aside their opinions to judge the merits of the case and the facts before them.

One juror who was almost immediately disregarded Monday called the Jan. 6 riots “Un-American and treasonous.” Another who was set aside worked in a senator’s office with people who were in the Capitol Building when protestors stormed in.

Another mother of a then-infant said she feared for her child’s safety during the riots from five miles away from the Capitol Building, and was prepared to flee the District of Columbia if the insurrection tumbled out of control.

Meanwhile, other jurors dealt with traffic delays and questioned whether they were safe traveling during the event.

Some jurors and the defendant, with her lawyers, were seen in the line in the federal building’s first floor cafeteria purchasing lunch. A view of the Capitol Building dominated most of the view through the window, an unmistakable image and visible reminder of what happened nearly two years ago.

Despite perhaps not knowing the name “Riley Williams,” many said they were aware Pelosi’s laptop had been stolen from her office in the Capitol Building Jan. 6, 2021.

One man indicated he knew more than the attorneys—because he thought he heard Williams did some “nasty” things inside Pelosi’s office such as defecating inside, despite such a claim never having been made in court documents.

Still, plenty of jurors stepped forward claiming they could set aside their preconceived notions and prior knowledge about Jan. 6 to judge the case only on its merits.

“We are looking for people who are candid and sincere about their biases, but can do the job despite that,” Judge Amy Jackson said between candidates.

“Not all people present on Jan. 6 did what this defendant is accused of doing, or even broke the law,” Jackson said.

The attorneys, and Jackson, also focused on potential jurors’ relationship with the alt-right and right-wing extremism—and potential biases against them.

Evidence will be presented at trial placing Williams at several rallies and functions that demonstrate Williams’ extremist views in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 riots. These include the “Stop the Steal,” rally on Dec. 5, 2020 in Michigan and the “Million MAGA March,” in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 12; both of which featured Nick Fuentes, a far-right podcaster.

One of the goals of jury selection is to find an impartial jury who could evaluate not Williams’ views, but the specific actions she took on Jan. 6.

“[Williams] is not on trial for having these beliefs. She is on trial for what she has been charged with doing on Jan. 6,” Jackson said.

Williams initially asked to be tried in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, covering much of central Pa., including her hometown of Mechanicsburg, because she felt any District of Columbia jury would know too much about her case and be biased against her, according to court motions filed by her attorney.

But Judge Jackson denied the request, stating that much of Williams’ fellow Middle District residents would know much more of her situation than any District of Columbia because of local news media coverage.

Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday, with the trial starting this week after a jury has been seated.

Williams is being tried on charges she partook in the Jan. 6, including obstructing Capitol police, stealing government property—namely, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop—and obstructing the certification of the Electoral College’s vote certifying Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.

Williams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Stay tuned to PennLive for more updates.