Jury Selection Starts in Martha Stewart Trial

A two-week process to select a jury in the trial of Martha Stewart got underway as hundreds of New Yorkers were summoned to federal court in Manhattan to fill out questionnaires. Prosecutors say Stewart lied -- to investigators and investors -- in explaining why she sold shares in a friend’s company two years ago. Lawyers for both sides compiled the survey to screen potential members of the panel for their biases and knowledge of the case.

Stewart faces trial on charges of conspiring with Peter Bacanovic, her former Merrill Lynch & Co. broker, to obstruct an investigation into her sale of $228,000 of ImClone Systems Inc. stock. She has pleaded not guilty.