All-White Jury Will Judge OJ

Nine women and three men will make up the jury in OJ Simpson’s trial for kidnapping and armed robbery —but none of them are black, the Los Angeles Times reports. The prosecution dismissed two black candidates, one from the jury and another from the pool of alternates, but said it had nothing to do with race. The defense disagreed, but the judge said she saw no evidence to overrule.

Prosecutors said they dismissed the black woman from the jury pool because she was a minister with a “forgiving nature.” “When you have a minister back in the jury room, that person can take over the jury room,” said the district attorney. He said the other was removed because her belief that her brother was unjustly imprisoned could affect her judgment. Two black men remain among the alternates.
(More OJ Simpson stories.)