After another day of jury selection, we're close to having a jury and getting the ball rolling with opening statements, which are set to begin this morning at 11 a.m. Yesterday's buzz at jury selection was mostly over a former Q101 radio host who now hosts a television show; he was eventually dismissed after telling the judge he'd likely lose his job over having to sit in on the trial, not to mention he had discussed the trial on his show (he was dismissed). The commenters over at the Tribune site took their best guesses and seemed to figure out the man's identity with relative ease (so much for anonymity). There are around 50 potential jurors left in the pool and attorneys on both sides will use their peremptory challenges to cut 22 jurors (defense cuts 13, prosecutors cut 9) and then whittle it down to a jury of 12 with around 6 alternates. Of the pool of jurors still left, Natasha Korecki notes there is not a single Liz Lemon among them. more ›

It was back to court on Friday for former governor Rod Blagojevich, his brother Rob, wife Patti, and a host of attorneys as jury selection continued in the federal corruption trial of the Brothers Blagojevich. While he didn't say much on Day One, yesterday, Blago told a group of reporters, "We've been lied about and falsely accused. I know I'll be vindicated." As we saw yesterday, Blago didn't let what's facing him deter him from putting on a happy face as he tried to work a little bit of that ol' Blago magic on the courtroom artists. more ›

Now that you're all caught up on your Blagojevich Case history and the Opening Ceremonies concluded, it's time to get down to business. The business of selecting the jury. The first panel of 34 jurors was seated and Judge Zagel grilled them pretty good by all accounts. In particular, Juror No. 126 got Zagel's full attention regarding his juror questionnaire, having listed "bad temper" as a medical condition and claiming "self-interest and short-term interests will kill our country." Zagel asked the juror, "Is there anything you wouldn't say to get out of jury service?" While Zagel made the potential juror squirm, Blago seemed to be quite comfortable in the courtroom; the Tribune reported that Blago, "continued scribbling away on a notepad as the jurors are questioned, stopping occasionally to pick lint off the sleeves of his suit." But as the Sun-Times notes, maybe Blago is a little loose. more ›

And away we go. After a big crowd assembled way too early in the morning (for us, anyway) for first-come, first-serve seating in the courtroom, Rod Blagojevich and wife Patti showed up just 10 minutes before the proceedings' scheduled start of 11 a.m. While Rod had little to say - a rarity - wife Patti had plenty to say, "Today is a good day because today begins a process to correct a terrible injustice that's been done to my husband, our family and the people of Illinois. My husband as governor did great things for people, and he continued to fight for them always. My husband is an honest man, and I know that he's innocent. Thank you." And now? Jury selection is currently underway after Judge Zagel ruled against a media request to release the names of the jurors before the end of the trial. more ›

Jury selection in the Jon Burge trial on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice is underway today as potential jurors are questioned by attorneys. While we'll be following on via several media outlets, we'll also be paying close attention to John Conroy's blog over at WBEZ. more ›

Jon Burge, the former Chicago Police captain accused of leading a group of officers that allegedly tortured suspects, is finally facing trial. The first step begins today with the start of jury selection. Potential jurors will appear in court to complete a questionnaire and will return to court on May 24 to complete the jury selection process. Because the statue of limitations on possible torture charges have expired, prosecutors are instead going after Burge for perjury and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say Burge lied in 2003 when asked if he was aware of any acts of torture going on under his command. That was during a wrongful conviction lawsuit filed by Madison Hobley. Hobley was originally convicted of setting the 1987 fire that killed seven people, including his wife and son. He served 13 years in prison before Gov. George Ryan pardoned him in 2003 and in his wrongful conviction lawsuit, Hobley alleged that Burge and his men tortured him in to making a false confession. (When investigators filed no new charges against Hobley for the fire, he was cleared to collect his full settlement). more ›

• A DuPage County jury has sentenced Edward Tenney to death for a 1992 murder.
• Jury selection kicked off today in Calvin Boender's case.
• Authorities weren't too amused with a bus prank pulled by a pair of East Aurora High students.

• Jury selection began today for Andre Crawford, accused of raping and killing 11 women during the 90's.
• No one was hurt but 12 vehicles were damaged today when a Pace bus driver passed out while driving the bus along it's Oak Park route.
• Block 37, lawsuit, CTA, delay, blah blah blah.

After a little over a week, the jury for the second Brown's Chicken Murders trial - for suspect James Degorski - has been selected. The jury of six men and six women was finalized on Friday and four alternates were chosen yesterday to complete the process. According to the Sun-Times, the jury's racial make-up breaks down like so: "Nine of the jurors are white, two are African-American and one is Hispanic. The alternates are two black men, a Hispanic man and a white woman." Opening statements will begin as planned on August 31. In 2007, Juan Luna stood trial for the killings, resulting in a conviction on all seven counts of murder and a life sentence. The big break in the case came in 2002 when Degorski's then girlfriend, Anne Lockett, finally gave in and told police Degorski had admitted committing the shootings to her. The Daily Herald has an extensive archive of stories on the murders. more ›