Judge Cuts SF Jury Pool Amid Anti-Elon Musk Sentiment

There are several methods to avoid jury duty. Perhaps you have a job that requires your presence, or you have caregiving duties, or the commute is excessively long. Alternatively, in the case of an upcoming California trial, you might be one of the many individuals who strongly dislikeElon Musk.

On Thursday, federal judge Charles BreyerReduced the jury pool by more than a third, from 93 people, due to their biases regarding the billionaire, as reported by several sources from the San Francisco courtroom. The civil trial concerns Musk's actions during his 2022 acquisition of Twitter. The plaintiff investors claim he broke securities law by withholding information in filings and making misleading statements to lower the company's stock price; Musk denies any wrongdoing. In total, selecting the nine-member jury took approximately five hours.

Reporters from Law360, Bloomberg Law and Courthouse News Servicewere present in the room, where theTesla CEO's reputation - richest man alive, deepfakevendor, architect of President Donald Trump's 2025 "DOGEcampaign - evidently came before him.

Breyer, emphasizing that the jury must rely solely on the evidence presented in the case, noted that the responses from candidates on the pre-selection questionnaire contained numerous criticisms of Musk, his companies, and his political views. When approximately three dozen individuals raised their hands indicating they could not set aside their biases, the judge removed them from consideration.

Other individuals were subsequently questioned, revealing that some animosity toward Musk had managed to pass the initial screening. As reported by Law360, one candidate stated, "In a criminal trial, I would feel morally compelled to convict, but in a civil trial, I could put those opinions aside," and added, "I think it would be beneficial for humanity if Mr. Musk were sent to prison."

I don't think losing several hundred million dollars in a civil trial will even make a dent in his fortune," he was quoted as saying. "So it doesn't really make a difference.

The outlet mentioned that he was not selected for the jury, and neither was a woman who claimed Musk lacks "any moral compass" and "used his money to purchase votes." The judge also rejected a candidate who expressed disagreement with the "existence of billionaires" and another who voiced their disapproval of Musk's decision to fire Twitter content moderators, according to Bloomberg Law.

Musk's lawyer, Stephen Broome, argued in court to remove additional potential jurors from the pool due to their answers on the questionnaire, according to reports.

"I'm worried that what's occurring here is that there are so many individuals in the jury pool who strongly dislike him that we've become numb to how inappropriate it would be to have someone like this on the panel," Broome was reported to say, adding that another defendant would likely result in more immediate dismissals.

To put it mildly, Breyer reportedly stated that, as a public figure, Musk "will generate strong opinions. The question is whether [jurors] can disregard them."

The courtroom proceedings start in March.

Work for a technology firm in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to discuss it? Reach out securely to tech journalist Stephen Council via email at stephen.council@or through Signal at 628-204-5452.

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