In Alexandria, Va

In Alexandria, Va., U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema delayed the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui until Jan. 6, ruling that the evidence against the accused Sept. 11 terrorist was too complex and voluminous to begin testimony this fall.
Brinkema's order agreed with the positions of Moussaoui, who is representing himself, and a team of court-appointed lawyers asked by the judge to remain in the case.
She ruled against prosecutors, who favored the previous schedule of jury selection beginning Sept. 30 with testimony to begin by mid-October.
Under Brinkema's order:
Questionnaires will be distributed to a pool of potential jurors Nov. 18.
The pool will be narrowed down by Dec. 6.
Questioning of jurors will begin Dec. 9 and continue until a final pool of 90 is selected. From that group, there will be 12 jurors and 6 alternates selected on Jan 6, followed by opening statements.
"Although the public's right to a speedy trial is a legitimate concern, this court's paramount concern is ensuring that the defendant receive a fair trial," Brinkema said in a 3-page order. Brinkema also said each side would be permitted to dismiss 25 individuals from the jury pool.