HARRISBURG — A judge in the public-corruption trial of a former leader of the Pennsylvania Legislature and three former aides issued an order Tuesday that opened the door for prosecutors to use e-mail evidence they consider vital to their case.

Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis said e-mail evidence can be established as authentic under a 2005 Superior Court decision, which was a less stringent standard than defense attorneys had sought.

He also said prosecutors will not necessarily have to provide entire e-mail "threads" that might provide more context.

Exactly how that will play out "remains to be seen," said Joel Sansone, a lawyer for defendant Mike Veon.

"The judge has left open the question of whether or not the e-mails can be automatically introduced," Sansone said.

Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said afterward he had only briefly scanned Lewis' two-page order and so declined immediate comment.

Lewis issued the order at the end of a daylong process in which six jurors were seated — four men and two women. Six more jurors and four alternates remain to be chosen.

Former state Rep. Veon, D-Beaver, and three of his former aides are accused of diverting state-government resources for campaigning and other illegal purposes. Opening statements and testimony are scheduled to begin Feb. 1.