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Diverse
Jury
Selected
in Kwame
Kilpatrick
Corruption
Trial
By Karen
Hudson
Samuels/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
De) -
After
nearly
two
weeks of
probing
questioning
by
prosecutors,
defense
attorneys
and
Federal
Judge
Nancy
Edmunds,
a jury
of
twelve
and six
alternates
was
sworn in
Friday
afternoon
to sit
in
judgment
of the
city’s
youngest
Mayor on
a litany
of
corruption
charges.
A
diverse
group of
individuals
was
sworn in
despite
concerns
about
the
racial
makeup
of the
jury.
The
twelve
member
panel is
made up
of 4 are
black
females,
1 black
male, 1
possibly
Hispanic
female,
2 white
males
and 4
white
females.
The
alternates
are 2
black
females,
1 black
male, 2
white
males
and 1
white
female.
Judge
Edmunds
delivered
careful
instructions
to the
jurors
to
“avoid
all
media”
including
Twitter
and not
to
discuss
their
thoughts
or
opinions
of the
trial
with
friends,
co-workers,
anyone.
Opening
statements
in the
case are
set for
Friday
September
21st,
and
Edmunds
told
jurors
to
expect a
lengthy
trial.
The
process
of
getting
down to
an
acceptable
jury
panel
was
accomplished
by
allowing
defense
attorneys
and
prosecutors
to
challenge
the pool
of 60
potential
jurors
on their
ability
to
remain
impartial
and
unbiased
toward
government
prosecutions
or
issues
of race.
In the
first
challenge
round
one
black
female
was
dismissed,
on the
basis of
a
perceived
hostile
attitude
and her
statement
of not
of
‘maybe’
not
being
able to
find
Kilpatrick
‘Guilty’
even if
the
government
proved
its case
beyond a
responsible
doubt.
The
question
of
whether
a fair
trial is
possible
in
Detroit
was
raised
by Kwame
Kilpatrick’s
legal
team who
cited
intense
media
coverage
as one
factor.
Judge
Edmunds
will
hear
legal
arguments
on a
change
of venue
on
Thursday.
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