Bill Cosby Opens Sexual Assault Hearing With a Joke

Bill Cosby walked into his latest court hearing Tuesday with a joke: "Don't tase me, bro," he said to security officers as he entered the courtroom in suburban Philadelphia and they wanded him, the AP reports. (In case you've forgotten, that's a reference to a quote that went viral in 2007.) Once inside, the hearing was opened with a "shouting match," per NBC News. The judge had to tell the prosecution and the defense to keep their voices down; the two sides were arguing over whether the defense could introduce exhibits containing the names 13 women, two of whom have not identified themselves publicly, who accuse Cosby of sexual abuse.

The hearing is part of a two-day process in which the judge will decide whether those 13 women will be allowed to testify against Cosby at his upcoming trial on allegations that he sexually assaulted Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. Though dozens of women have accused the comedian of sexual misconduct, that is the only case in which criminal charges are pending; the trial is set for this summer. In the case of Tuesday's shouting match, the judge ultimately ordered the defense not to use the names of the two accusers who have stayed out of the spotlight. (More Bill Cosby stories.)