Judge: George Zimmerman May Not Be Called a “Vigilante” During Juror Questioning

On day one in the trial over Trayvon Martin's murder, Judge Debra Nelson barred the prosecution from using a series of words in its juror questioning.

By Julianne Hing Jun 10, 2013

Today, 16 months after Trayvon Martin was murdered, his killer George Zimmerman finally went on trial. And the first thing his lawyers did was try to delay the trial even further. Florida Circuit Judge Debra Nelson put the kibosh on that right away, the Detroit Free Press reported, but did rule that the prosecution is barred from using the words "profiled," "vigilante," "wannabe cop," and "self-appointed neighborhood watch captain" during questioning of potential jurors. Those words were deemed "inflammatory," the paper reported.

And then jury selection process began. Some 100 potential jurors showed up today after 500 summons were sent out. For more on what to expect during this trial, read Eric Mann’s account here.

The Detroit Free Press streamed the proceedings live today. Juror questioning will begin again tomorrow.