The long-awaited re-trial of leading medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal begins with jury selection Monday, May 14 at 8:30am.

Members of the press and Rosenthal's family will be allowed to enter the courtroom at 8:15am, before the jury pool arrives at 8:30.

The public will be permitted to take any seats left after the 75 prospective jurors are seated.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer has said that he will again ask those called for jury service if they can put aside any opinions they have about the medical use of marijuana, the conflict between state and federal laws, and any publicity about the case they may have seen.

Voir dire for the first trial stretched over three days and required more than 80 prospective jurors to find twelve that would agree to the judge's conditions.

Even so, following Mr Rosenthal’s January 2003 conviction, jurors in the case publicly recanted their verdict and leveled harsh criticism at the government for withholding information about the Oakland medical marijuana program. Convicted of three felonies related to cultivating marijuana, Mr Rosenthal was sentenced to a single day in jail.

Rosenthal successfully appealed his conviction last year. The government reindicted in October 2006, adding 11 new charges. Judge Breyer dismissed the additional charges as "vindictive prosecution" but marijuana cultivation, conspiracy and distribution charges remain.

The prosecution, which plans to call 57 witnesses, has said its case will last more than a week, even though the government has conceded that Rosenthal can receive no additional punishment, since he has already served his sentence.

Opening arguments are expected either late Monday or early Tuesday.

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Media Contact: William Dolphin (510) 919-1498, mail@williamdolphin.com