After nearly a week, a jury in the Kwame Kilpatrick trial was selected Wednesday, with 5 out 12 jurors being black, the Detroit Free Press reported. A sixth person is Hispanic
On top of that, three of the six alternates are black, the Free Press reported.
Selection of the racially mixed jury comes just weeks after Kilpatrick's lawyers complained that there weren't enough black jurors in jury pools in federal court in Detroit.
The selection clears the way for opening statements to begin Friday.
But before that happens, U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds is expected to hear arguments by the defense for a change of venue. Kilpatrick has repeatedly claimed that he can't get a fair trial in Detroit.
Change of venue requests are seldom granted in Detroit federal court in high profile cases.
Kilpatrick and his three co-defendants are charged with running a criminal enterprise that shook down contractors doing business with the city. The ex-mayor's co-defendants include his father Bernard Kilpatrick, friend Bobby Ferguson and Victor Mercado, the former water boss chief.
