Defense attorney Eddie Genson may be crying foul over the loss of potential African-American jurors in this child pornography trial, but two of the three still standing after Monday's questioning are black.
When Judge Vincent Gaughan failed to complete the questioning of all 20 potential jurors called in today, he dismissed the four who remained....two of whom were African-American. He promised to call them back only if the remainder of the 150- person pool was exhausted.
Being cooped up in a courtroom can offer the best opportunity for people-watching. Here's who was seated at the end of the day:
1) A 30ish white male and father of two, who holds an office job in the executive ranks. He listens to NPR and reads the Chicago Tribune, while his wife enjoys US Weekly. He says he believes the justice system can be biased against minorities, but looked Kelly in the eye to promise he could give him a fair trial. He told Judge Gaughan he believes child pornography is "as low as it can get," to which Gaughan replied that no one here condones such action.
2) A 50ish black female who hails from Olympia Fields, Kelly's hometown. She says she hasn't heard much about the case, but has seen it in the newspapers. She's married to a pastor, who is also the president of a national Baptist organization. Though one member of her congregation has been convicted of murder, she says the judicial system is "fair in most instances." She promised Gaughan she would judge by the laws of man, not by the laws of God.
3) A 50ish black male, who works in telecommunications and reads the Chicago Tribune and CNN online daily. He describes himself as religious and attends the Christian Life Center. His opinion on porn he summed up with the following: "I'm a Christian. I don't like going into 7-11 and seeing it." He has heard of Barry Hankerson, Kelly's former manager, but says he knows little of the R & B singer's reputation. He does say he has heard of his 1996 hit, "I Believe I Can Fly."
Now they just need to decide on nine more plus four alternates. Watch here for more updates.
Randi Belisomo, CLTV reporter
