Former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson's legal team has foreshadowed an application for a judge-alone trial next month.
The 73-year-old denies murdering his wife Lynette in 1982.
The NSW Supreme Court today heard Mr Dawson's lawyers would apply for a trial by judge alone ahead of the expected start in mid-May.
Crown Prosecutor Craig Everson SC told the court the application would be opposed.
Justice Ian Harrison listed the application on May 2, to be heard before a separate judge.
"It won't come as a surprise to anybody that it's my opinion, probably one that you'll share, that the management of this case — perhaps no more or less than any other criminal trial in the current pandemic environment — is difficult," Justice Harrison said.
The judge said the proceedings might need to be postponed for a week to allow for pre-trial matters to be dealt with from May 9.
Mr Everson said the trial judge must require the Crown to draw to the jury panel's attention the nature of the charge and principle witnesses to be called.
But he said it was "common enough practice" for "other matters" to be drawn to prospective jurors' attention, which may result in several people indicating they were "not capable of bringing their own judgment to bear upon the evidence".
Mr Everson said bringing in a large volume of people for a jury pool meant the empanelment process would take "quite some time, at least some days".
