Simpson Panelists Offer Jury Watchers Few Clues : Courts: Stone-faced response to emotional testimony, graphic evidence attracts even greater scrutiny.

You might do well to stay out of a poker game with jurors in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

This panel has made an art of keeping a straight face.

They had front-row seats when O.J. Simpson rolled up his pant leg and bared his knee. No visible reaction.

They watched as Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister broke down in tears during dramatic testimony. No visible reaction.

They looked on as images of terrible carnage flashed on the screen above them. No visible reaction.

Trying to divine what’s behind such outward unresponsiveness has become something of an obsession for reporters covering the trial.

But unless the collective courtroom personality of the panel changes substantially in the coming weeks, the world will have to look elsewhere for human score cards.

The Simpson jurors, whose names are being kept secret, have given up next to nothing about what they might think of the testimony and other evidence as it unfolds before them.

A television station reported last week that some of the women jurors averted their eyes when pictures from the murder scene were shown on a giant monitor above their heads. In reality, they were looking dispassionately at the pictures on a television monitor placed out of sight, near the floor of the jury box.

There are exceptions.

One juror almost imperceptibly rolled his eyes and another soundlessly chuckled when a witness seemed to suggest that a black man should not have been on a sidewalk in Brentwood after dark.

And the group broke into laughter when Superior Court Judge Lance A. Ito asked--during questioning of a witness with a hearing aid--if he could have such a device to tune out the proceedings.

But such outbursts are the exception, not the rule.

And the enigmatic behavior of the jurors has fueled even greater scrutiny. They are watched and commented upon constantly by those lucky enough to have snared assigned courtroom seats.

When a juror arrived in court after a weekend break with a new hairdo--she went from braids to a bouffant-type style--it was the talk of the lunch break in the courthouse newsroom set up for the trial.

When another juror carried a briefcase into the courtroom for the first time, reporters asked one another what it meant--even though no one had the slightest idea what, if anything, was inside.

And when one man, a favorite target of speculation, wore a very bright, very red suit with matching shoes to court . . . well, let’s just say he made his reputation.

Simpson jury watching extends outside the courtroom, too--but not very far outside of it.

When the jurors are escorted the few feet to or from Ito’s courtroom and private corridor, where they disappear with court bailiffs, members of the public who happen to be nearby jostle with journalists to get a fleeting glimpse of the men and women who will decide the outcome of the most watched trial in recent history.

For the last 32 days, they have been sequestered at an undisclosed location, where, presumably, a cadre of sheriff’s deputies tries to make their lives as normal as possible under the circumstances.

Here are some of their courthouse routines and other tidbits from a jury watcher’s diary:

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The hint each morning that the Simpson jury has arrived on the ninth floor of the Criminal Courts Building occurs when sheriff’s deputies sweep through the corridor, herding everyone behind red lines taped on the floor on either side of Ito’s courtroom.

If you’re on a pay phone, too bad; if you move a little too slowly, well, you can be hurried along.

When everyone is in place, a deputy holding the courtroom door open signals to another deputy at the door leading to the private corridor. At that point, the single-file procession of the Simpson jurors--and the gawking--begins.

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Ito has repeatedly referred to the jury as well turned-out.

“You’re the best-dressed jury I’ve ever seen,” he told them again last week while urging them to dress down for a planned tour of the Nicole Brown Simpson / Ronald Goldman murder scene and other sites in Brentwood today.

Indeed, most of the men wear suits each day and most of the women wear dresses or suits.

One juror, a soda truck driver from East Los Angeles, often shows up in an unusual-colored, but tasteful and stylish, jacket with sparkling white handkerchiefs sprouting from the breast pocket.

Another man, a 72-year-old retiree, turns out each day in an immaculate business suit, usually gray.

A Glendale man is the only consistent “Mr. Casual” on the panel.

He always wears jeans or slacks, a rumpled tweed sports jacket and an open-necked oxford shirt.

Among the women, the most striking are the two whose elaborate hairstyles give new meaning to the phrase “big hair.”

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When in court, everything is done to keep the jury from contact with the public. Courtroom spectators are forbidden to speak to jurors about anything and even direct eye contact is discouraged.

Ito has instructed the jurors not to even greet the lawyers on either side.

When they enter court from the jury room near Ito’s chambers, everyone else in the courtroom, except the judge, is already standing on the orders of the bailiff.

Before the jurors leave for lunch or at the end of the day, the courtroom is cleared of spectators.

This sort of treatment--and Ito’s daily instructions to jurors not to discuss the case among themselves or with anyone else--probably contributes to the panel’s poker-faced demeanor.

Some jurors seem to go out of their way not to look at spectators, even those sitting only a few feet away.

But one, a Glendale man who called his wife “my best friend” during voir dire and worried about conjugal visits during sequestration, pointedly stares at people in the spectator sections during the sidebar conferences between Ito and the lawyers.

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You can’t tell a book by its cover, but you may be able to tell a juror by a book, so courtroom spectators spend a lot of time trying to decipher the titles of reading material carried by the Simpson panelists.

Spotted so far:

* “Sisters and Lovers,” Connie Briscoe’s popular novel about the romantic entanglements of three sisters in Washington.

* E. Lynn Harris’ “Just as I Am.”

* A book of word search and crossword puzzles.

* Something by Ayn Rand.

And carried by a juror who perhaps had sequestration in mind:

* Sidney Sheldon’s “Nothing Lasts Forever.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Simpson Jury

They are the most important players in the O.J. Simpson courtroom drama, yet their faces are seen by only a handful of spectators in Department 103 of the Criminal Courts Building. The people who will decide Simpson’s fate--12 jurors and nine alternatives--have for the most part maintained poker faces. Though their identities are a secret, some have shown distinctive styles in court.

1) Black woman, 50. Vendor

* Carries a word puzzle book; conservative dresser.

2) Black woman, 25. Flight attendant

* Very demure, gives impression of shyness.

3) Native American man, 52. Amtrak trainer

* Stares boldly at spectators during sidebars.

4) Latino man, 32. Pepsi truck driver

* Snazzy dresser.

5) Black woman, 37. Self-employed

* Likes detective crime books.

6) Black man, 43. Marketing representative

* Favors black shirts with sport coat and ties; very courtly.

7) Black woman, 38. Employment interviewer

* One of the most blank-faced.

8) Black woman, 38. Environmental health specialist

* Very attentive, though she and juror in Seat 9 have been seen engaged in little asides.

9) Black woman, 52. Postal worker

* Seems to have bonded with juror in Seat 8.

10) Black man, 54. Postal operations manager

* Seems alert to Simpson’s behavior in court.

11) White woman, 22. Insurance claim adjuster

* Like juror in Seat 2, seems shy.

12) Black man, 46. Courier

* Sometimes carries a thick, leather-bound book with eye-catching kente cloth print swatches.

13) Black woman, 44. Superior Court computer technician

* Went from braids to a more conventional hairdo after being sequestered.

14) White woman, 38. Pacific Bell worker

* Often watches families of the victims. Describes herself as “touchy-feely.”

15) Black woman, 71. Retired cleaner

* Sits closest to press corps.

16) Black man, 72. Retired security guard.

* Dresses in impeccably conservative business suits. Doesn’t miss a thing that happens in the courtroom.

17 ) Latino woman, 28. L.A. County real estate appraiser

* Sits ramrod straight; very attentive.

18) White woman, 24. Fire department receptionist

* A favorite in the press corps for her eccentric hairdo and guileless comments during voir dire.

19) Black woman, 28. Postal worker

* Likes mystery novels.

20) Black woman, 24. County hospital worker

* Sits farthest from the witness stand. Judge often checks to make sure she can hear.

21) White woman, 60. Retired gas company clerk

* Only panelist who sits outside jury box. May be a leader; recently wrote a note of unknown contents to judge on behalf of whole panel.