A 12-person jury was seated Wednesday to hear the felony case against Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope.

Pope faces two counts of perjury and five counts of malfeasance in office.

Opening arguments are expected to begin Thursday in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette.

RELATED: Closed-door session Tuesday narrowed jury pool

It took most of three days to seat the jury of nine women and three men from Lafayette Parish to hear the case. At 5 p.m. Wednesday, another panel of potential jurors was being questioned in private to find two alternates.

Pope's attorneys had asked to move the trial out of the Lafayette area because of pretrial publicity.

Assistant District Attorney Alan Haney spent most of Wednesday morning defining for 29 potential jurors the charges of perjury and malfeasance. He also explained Louisiana's Public Records Act and questioned potential jurors about the law.

The public records law is important to Pope's case because some of the charges grew out of a 2015 public records request filed by The IND news organization.

The request followed an October 2015 press conference Pope held at his office to criticize Mark Garber, an attorney and candidate for Sheriff. Pope, who supported Garber's opponent, Chad Leger, said he encouraged illegal immigrants to file worker's compensation lawsuits in Louisiana.

Pope did not produce the records requested, including emails, so The IND sued. Pope allegedly lied twice during a sworn deposition taken as part of that civil suit. Pope still didn't comply after a judge ruled in favor of The IND. He is on probation for that contempt charge.

RELATED: Criminal complaint filed against Pope in 2016

Some potential jurors said Wednesday they don't think the public records law should apply to emails, especially if they contain private information such as health records or Social Security numbers. Laws allow that information to be withheld.

One potential juror said the release of records can be considered an invasion of privacy and said it's concerning that someone with no knowledge about a subject can misconstrue the information they receive through a public records request.

Another juror said he has a "problem with the media." He said "the media just digs and they lie," to which other jurors agreed verbally and with nods. "The media," he said, "makes the public believe what they want."

Later, that same juror said he's not sure he believes in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees free speech and a free press.

Two potential jurors said, however, they support the right of everyone to see public records. One said she thinks it's important so she can see how tax dollars are spent.

Another juror said a public official chose to run for office and should be transparent. She said the public has the responsibility to be educated and understand the issues.

But a female juror said it's not fair there aren't any laws limiting access to public records based on what the media or individual intends to do with the information.

Pope's attorneys, John McLindon and Brett Grayson, spent about 30 minutes instructing jurors about public records law, asking if they can recall details of emails they sent three months ago and their views on immigration, including whether a wall should be built along the Mexican border.

A Lafayette Parish grand jury on Sept. 13 charged Pope with seven additional felony counts of malfeasance in office.