The jury is selected in the R. Kelly child pornography trial. The Chicago court session almost ended yesterday with 12 members and two alternates firmly in place and two more alternates about to be selected. The jury panel consist of eight whites and four black. The jurors were selected but Kelly’s defense team accused the prosecutors of intentionally striking minorities from the jury pool in favor of whites. The defense firmly believes that the prosecutors are playing the race card.  The prosecution has already used four of their seven challenges to remove minorities during the selection process. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan also approved the state’s attorneys request to remove a black man who lied about having spent time in jail.  
Gaughan suggested the defense’s racism accusation was hypocritical, given the fact that Kelly’s attorneys used all seven of its challenges to strike white candidates. “I don’t think [the prosecution] is doing that,” Gaughan said. “You keep saying that. You haven’t mentioned all the white males you’ve dismissed.” As of yesterday, four of the 12 members are women. The alternates as of press time included a white man and a Latino man. Although there was ongoing drama, the four jurors were approved by both sides Thursday to complete the 12 member panel. Among the newly selected were a Romanian immigrant, a recent college graduate and a man who didn’t really know who R. Kelly was.