Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Twelve jurors, including a former Washington Post reporter, an art historian and a retired postal worker, were chosen for the perjury trial of I. Lewis Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

The nine women and three men were chosen after four days of questioning by prosecution and defense lawyers in Washington. Opening statements are scheduled for tomorrow in the trial, which is expected to last four to six weeks, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said.

``We'll do all we can to move this case along as expeditiously as possible,'' Walton told the jurors, who also include a foreign health officer with the Department of Health and Human Services, a consumer protection lawyer at the Federal Trade Commission and a retired math teacher. Four alternates also were chosen.

Libby, 56, is accused of lying to a grand jury probing whether Central Intelligence Agency operative Valerie Plame's identity was deliberately leaked in a bid to discredit her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of the Iraq war. Libby's lawyers say he was too busy with national security matters to accurately remember events related to the leak.

During questioning of potential jurors by prosecution and defense lawyers last week, the former Post reporter, a man who now works as a freelance writer, said, ``If I was at either of your tables in this case, I'd be skeptical.''

Bob Woodward

Asked about possible testimony by Post editor Bob Woodward, the man said, ``I would say the one thing that he drilled into all of us was, don't take anybody's word for anything until you get the facts. I'd find it shameful to overweigh anything.''

After jury instructions tomorrow, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor investigating the leak, will have an hour for his opening statement, Walton said. Libby's lawyer, Ted Wells, told the judge he plans to speak for as long as two hours before the first witness is called.

Libby, who is charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements, faces as many as 10 years in prison if convicted of obstruction, the most serious charge. Libby resigned after he was indicted in October 2005.

The indictment says Libby falsely told a grand jury that he first learned from NBC journalist Tim Russert that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, when he actually had learned it earlier from Cheney and other government officials.

Wells has said the defense may call Cheney to the stand to bolster claims that Libby was busy with national security issues and may have erred in what he told investigators. Libby was Cheney's closest adviser, serving as his national security adviser as well as chief of staff.

The list of 80 potential witnesses also includes former CIA Director George Tenet and Secretary of State of Condoleezza Rice.

Defense lawyers also may call White House political adviser Karl Rove. Prosecutors may call former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and former New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

The case is U.S. vs. Libby, 05-394, U.S. District Court, the District of Columbia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cary O'Reilly in Washington at caryoreilly@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: January 22, 2007 18:44 EST