Cameras snapped like machine-gun fire. Television crews jockeyed for position. Illinois'
wedding ring former
wedding ring first couple -- he dressed in
wedding ring a dark blue suit;
wedding ring she in a black
wedding ring dress,
wedding ring blazer and heels -- sprang out of their car, greeted supporters and held hands on
wedding ring the way into the federal courthouse downtown. On what arguably should have been
wedding ring the worst day of their lives -- the
wedding ring start of
wedding ring his public corruption trial -- Rod and Patti Blagojevich kept
wedding ring on smiling. "Today begins a process to
wedding ring correct a terrible injustice that's been done to my husband, our family and the people
wedding ring of Illinois," Patti Blagojevich told a throng of reporters in the lobby, the former governor at her side. "My husband is
wedding ring an honest
wedding ring man, and I know that he's innocent. Thank you." The lines were delivered with precision and grace, traits
wedding ring wedding ring that once made the Blagojeviches winners in politics, and after his arrest 18 months ago, even won them some
wedding ring sympathy on reality TV. But on
wedding ring wedding ring Thursday,
wedding ring the stakes
wedding ring were much higher: The couple looked into
wedding ring the eyes of
wedding ring potential jurors who will determine whether Rod Blagojevich spends a sizable chunk of the rest of his life in prison, not whether he gets fired on "The
wedding ring Apprentice." In court, Rod Blagojevich
wedding ring broke into a smile at the mere mention of that show.
wedding ring He turned back and shot his wife a knowing
wedding ring glance when one potential juror said she saw "Mrs. Blagojevich" on a program that involved "something about some bugs or something" --
wedding ring an apparent reference to "I'm a Celebrity,
wedding ring Get Me out of Here." But as the former governor took notes, joked with
wedding ring his
wedding ring lawyers and, at times, appeared to suppress laughter,
wedding ring his co-defendant brother was doing anything but. Robert Blagojevich, sitting
wedding ring behind Rod, sighed deeply on a few occasions, seeming to grasp the gravity of what will unfold in the coming months. He
wedding ring had traveled to Chicago from Nashville
wedding ring last week and
wedding ring came to court
wedding ring Thursday with only his
wedding ring lawyers, saying: "I expect to be vindicated." The Blagojevich brothers
wedding ring walked in and out of the courtroom and the courthouse separately and never interacted
wedding ring publicly all day. The drama overshadowed the questioning of 29 potential jurors who will
wedding ring decide whether the
wedding ring Blagojevich brothers worked together to put the government on sale -- from Barack Obama's U.S.
wedding ring Senate seat to hospital construction approvals to government
wedding ring wedding ring contracts. Each potential juror had heard
wedding ring something about Blagojevich's case.
wedding ring All
wedding ring but one said they still could be fair in the courtroom. Jurors
wedding ring represented a broad swath of the public, including college students; people looking for
wedding ring wedding ring work;
wedding ring a man who once served on an 18-month federal
wedding ring grand jury;
wedding ring a machinist; schoolteachers, and
wedding ring a man who said he had testified
wedding ring as
wedding ring an expert witness. One woman said she did not trust "most politicians" but later she said she
wedding ring could be
wedding ring wedding ring fair in the case. U.S. District Judge James
wedding ring Zagel queried the jurors with
wedding ring flair,
wedding ring roasting a 22-year-old who tried to wiggle out of jury service, chuckling over senior moments with a woman who
wedding ring said she struggled with memory loss
wedding ring and posing a personal question to
wedding ring a
wedding ring wedding ring hockey player. "Do
wedding ring you
wedding ring have all
wedding ring your teeth?" he
wedding ring said to much laughter. "Yes I
wedding ring do," he answered. The day ended with Robert Blagojevich walking out alone and Rod
wedding ring and Patti Blagojevich exiting the courthouse together, passing a scant crowd
wedding ring of reporters and onlookers poised with cell phone cameras. The former governor waved and smiled at
wedding ring the
wedding ring group before helping Patti hop
wedding ring a large puddle
wedding ring to climb into the back seat of a white Infiniti.
