Conrad Murray Jury Will NOT Be Sequestered

The Dr. Conrad Murray jury will NOT be sequestered, because the judge does not want jurors to feel like inmates.

Judge Michael Pastor just ruled ... even though Michael Jackson's death was incredibly high profile, he feels confident sufficient measures will be in place to make sure the jury is not contaminated or harassed.

To ensure protection, jurors will each get meals and snacks in the jury room -- not in surrounding lunch areas open to the media and public.

Murray's legal team had filed docs earlier this month asking to sequester the jury -- because they were worried the jury would be tainted by large-scale "character assassinations" ... specifically by TV pundits like Nancy Grace.