Attorney feels some potential Kilpatrick jurors are lying - Fox 2 News Headlines

There were some angry words in court Wednesday as jury selection continued for Kwame Kilpatrick's federal corruption trial.  A defense attorney clashed with the judge over some potential jurors.

People are getting on each other's nerves.  It has been five days.  The judge thought jury selection would be done any day now, but instead it is only half way finished.

Meanwhile, the question about whether jurors are being completely candid is starting to make people a little frayed.

It's every lawyer's worst nightmare -- jurors who won't tell the truth.  Most have been saying they have no opinion of Kwame Kilpatrick, but defense attorney Mike Rataj isn't buying it.

"If you live in Southeastern Michigan within a five iron of Detroit and you say you don't know anything about Kwame Kilpatrick, I say you're lying."

However, the government ran into a potential problem, too.  A black juror from Detroit said she couldn't convict Kilpatrick even if the government made its case.  She later contradicted herself.

Rataj said there is no easy way to tell what's in the heart of a juror.

"You can't go up and grab someone by the throat and start shaking them until they tell you, yes, I know something.  We can't do that, so short of that we have to accept their answer."

Keep in mind defense attorneys and prosecutors will have one more chance to eliminate jurors once the pool of 66 is chosen.  That process may get underway as early as the beginning of next week.