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Today, Judge Arun Subramanian and the attorneys on both sides of the case held what’s known as a charge conference — a meeting where the key players finalize instructions for the jury. (The jurors, who have spent much of the last seven weeks listening to testimony and reviewing evidence, got a day off.)
Subramanian opened the conference by announcing that prosecutors and defense lawyers had agreed on language for the verdict form. He then turned his attention to the charge sheet, a document that explains the counts against the defendant. The judge gave the attorneys a chance to raise objections page by page, line by line, word by word.
In other news: U.S. government prosecutors are tightening their case against Diddy. In a letter filed yesterday, they asked the judge to strike language regarding “attempted” kidnapping and arson from jury instructions. NBC News’ David K. Li has more details here.
The stage is now set for closing arguments. Reminder: U.S. government prosecutors are seeking to convict Diddy on three charges — racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Diddy has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have insisted he was never the head of an alleged criminal enterprise.
🔎 The view from inside
By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas, Katherine Koretski and Jing Feng
Subramanian seemed surprised — or maybe just amused — by the number of reporters who showed up for today’s charge conference. “This is the most people I have seen at a charge conference,” the judge said. “Buckle in!”
👨⚖️ Analysis: Why charge conferences matter
By Danny Cevallos
The charge conference might seem dry, but it’s one of the most critical stages of the trial.
It’s tedious to spend the day nitpicking about whether to add a word or a comma to an instruction about consent or payment for sex. At the same time, these words are arguably much more important than anything the lawyers say in their closings. The jurors are told that what the lawyers say is not evidence. They are told that the jury instructions are the law.
So, the charge conference is sometimes marked by long periods of boredom, punctuated by moments of terror — often wondering if the terminology that just found its way into the instructions will make the difference between a guilty verdict or an acquittal.
Especially for trial lawyers, who have just completed the performative, adrenaline-fueled examinations of witnesses for weeks, suddenly sitting down for a day and quietly staring at reams of paper can be something of a crash. And, while they are likely all looking ahead and focusing on their closing arguments, the charge conference may be where the battle is truly won or lost.
PSA: Every night during Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop special episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you up to speed. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News’ Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. 🎧
