By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters), a judge who oversees the New York trial of Ghislaine Maxill, a British socialite accused of sexual abuse, said Monday that she intends to interview 231 potential jurors.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan begins questioning candidates Tuesday. It is her intention to question jurors about their knowledge of any victim of abuse.

The pool will select twelve jurors, and six alternates.

Maxwell, aged 59, has been accused of sexually abusing Jeffrey Epstein by grooming his underage daughters. She pleaded no guilty to six charges of sextrafficking and other offenses.

Opening statements for the trial are set to take place on Nov. 29,

Maxwell attorneys argue that media coverage and Epstein connections have clouded the jury pool. Over 600 potential jurors responded to questionnaires in March asking about Epstein’s and Maxwell’s experiences and what their opinions were.

This week’s questioning, also known as voir dire is meant to further eliminate potential jurors that may have biases.

Maxwell is a former girlfriend of Epstein, a teacher-turned-globetrotting-investor who counted Britain’s Prince Andrew and former U.S. President Donald Trump among his associates. Epstein, who was awaiting trial for sex-crimes charges in Manhattan in 2019, committed suicide in his Manhattan prison cell.