Orie jury selection starts
PITTSBURGH — Attorneys are questioning 101 prospective jurors for the retrial of state Sen. Jane Orie on allegations she illegally used state resources for campaigning.
Jury selection began today in Allegheny County Court with prospective jurors being asked if a three-week trial with possible long hours and weekends would be a hardship.
Orie’s first trial ended in a mistrial almost a year ago when a judge ruled a defense document had been forged. County prosecutors filed additional charges stemming from the Republican lawmaker’s testimony and defense exhibits in that trial.
The senator’s case has been separated from that of a sister, Janine, who is accused of directing the lawmaker’s staff to do campaign work for her and a third sister, Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin.
Melvin is not charged.