Although the public generally is permitted into courtrooms in Superior Court during trials, that is rarely the case during jury selection. The normal practice is to fill the space outside the bar with veniremen, leaving no seats for litigants' families, friends and the general public.
The Supreme Court ruled in the mid-1980s that the public has a First Amendment right to attend jury selection in criminal cases, which is an important part of the trial process. It rejected California's claim that privacy interests of potential jurors outweighed the public's right. In that case the judge closed the courtroom while "death qualifying" a jury, asking about potential jurors" views on the death penalty. If an individual venireman did not want to answer such questions in public s/he could ask to provide answers at the bench, The Supreme Court said. But the state could not assert the individual's privacy interest.
In D.C., veniremen take up all available seats while judges and the parties lawyers question individuals in the pool at the bench or in the jury room behind courtrooms.
It may be that jury selection in D.C. rarely is a matter of public interest, and not newsworthy. But there have been cases where jury issues have called verdicts into question. With a few exceptions, the public does not know about them.