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It may be a favorable sign of the jury's mood that it took the panel only a few minutes last Friday to chose a foreman. Or forewoman--some ex-jurors say that before they left the panel, a black female juror, 50, had emerged as a leader within the group. There is no telling whether their cooperative mood will last for long. Still, the Simpson case, which has inspired so much division, has also offered some scenes of unexpected harmony. There was a remarkable one on the last day of the trial. During the 15-minute morning break, Simpson's mother Eunice, who uses a wheelchair, could be seen next to Nicole Brown's mother Juditha, who was sitting on a hallway bench next to Arnelle Simpson, the defendant's daughter. Dominique Brown, Nicole's sister, knelt by Eunice. All four women were talking and touching each other. If they can find common ground, maybe there is hope for the jury. And the rest of us too.
--Reported by Elaine Lafferty, Jack E. White and James Willwerth/Los Angeles, with other bureaus