Legal Commentary

Spotlight Turns to Blagovevich Jurors:

By Jeralyn

While their names won't be released until after a verdict, the media is turning its attention to the jurors about to decide the case of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his brother Robert.

There are six men, six women. They include:

....a legal assistant, a public school math teacher, an avid marathon runner, two college students, a retired letter carrier and a man who was born in a California detention camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II.

17 jurors heard the case, but 5 will become alternates. The 12 with the lowest juror numbers will be the deciding jurors. More description below: [More...]

103 -- White female. A legal assistant who prepares legal notices. She has a young son and likes to play softball.

105 -- Black female, middle aged. Teaches math and pre-algebra at a public school. Her husband is an adult probation officer. She listens to talk radio.

106 -- Black female, a senior citizen. A retired official for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Once had been director of teen counseling for the Chicago Urban League. She once handed out campaign literature for a relative who ran for public office. Listens to National Public Radio and liberal radio talk shows.

119 -- White female in her 30s. Works in investment accounting. A mother of two daughters and an avid runner who does marathons. Her favorite reading material is "Runners World" and she said she doesn't have time to watch the news.

121 -- White female. An accounting major at Western Illinois University. Parents both work for the Hoffman Estates Police Department.

123 -- White male, about 40. Human relations manager for a law office. He does volunteer work for a family shelter.

127 -- White female, in her 40s. Worked for the Illinois Department of Employment Security for 26 years. She said Blagojevich was technically her superior when he was governor.

128 -- White male. He has applied to the College of DuPage for the fall. Worked in computer sales at Best Buy. Mom is in the Army. He is undecided on what he wants to do in life, but he likes to play sports and video games and hang out with friends. He couldn't recall having heard anything about the case.

133 -- White male, middle aged. Former superintendent in a manufacturing plant. Former sergeant in Marines who hurt his hip serving in Lebanon. Had a hip replacement in 2000 and now needs another, making it hard to sit or stand for more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time. The judge told him that could be accommodated by seating him in the back row of the jury box.

135 -- Japanese-American man born in 1944 in the Manzanar detention camp in California. Retired former videotape librarian who served as a Marine in Okinawa and Vietnam. Wife was a Chicago public school teacher.

137 -- White male, middle aged. Works for Johnson Controls as a service operations agent managing contracts for building automation controls in the city. Was in the Navy for 21 years and served in Operation Desert Storm. Likes computer strategy games.

148 -- Black male, senior citizen. Retired letter carrier. Does Bible study at church. Was on a criminal jury about 10 years ago in a murder case that ended up hung because one juror was uncomfortable with the possibility of the death penalty.

The Judge has just finished reading the 93 juror instructions, after which the 12 deliberating jurors will go to the jury room, pick a foreman, and get to work.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 28, 2010 (boomark / email).