Long Questionnaires Devised for Prospective Jurors in Honig Case

Prospective jurors in the conflict-of-interest trial of state schools chief Bill Honig will be asked to fill out extensive questionnaires in Superior Court today in an attempt to determine if they are objective enough to sit in judgment on the high-profile felony case.

The seven-page forms, containing 90 questions each, were put together by the prosecution and defense in the trial of the state superintendent of public instruction and were designed to cut down the courtroom questioning by attorneys during jury selection.

Such questionnaires, while not routine, are sometimes used in highly publicized cases to try to weed out jurors who have already made up their minds, said attorney Hugh Levine, a member of the defense team.

“Certainly Bill Honig is a controversial figure,” said San Francisco attorney Patrick Hallinan, head of the defense effort. “He is a figure who has many, many wonderful friends and he has devoted enemies.”

After a day of delays caused by crowded court calendars, Honig’s trial was assigned Monday to Judge James L. Long. Attorneys said they hoped to be able to agree on a jury by midweek.

Honig is charged with four counts of conflict of interest in connection with the operation of his wife’s nonprofit educational consulting firm. The attorney general’s office alleges that because of Honig’s influence as head of state schools, $337,509 in tax money was used to pay consultants for Nancy Honig’s Quality Education Project. Nancy Honig’s organization was retained by various local school districts to help set up parent-involvement programs.

Honig, a Democrat who has tangled with conservatives over a number of issues, maintains that no money was misspent by his wife’s organization and contends that his prosecution is politically motivated.

Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, a conservative Republican, denies that politics is a factor in the case and says the inquiry into the Quality Education Project began under former Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp, a Democrat.

Honig faces a maximum of five years in prison and would be disqualified from holding office if convicted.

Honig, who has held the superintendent’s office since 1983, has stated that he will not seek reelection regardless of the outcome of the trial.