Oprah Does Her Duty

Reporters and sketch artists have jammed into a Chicago courtroom for a relatively obscure murder trial turned famous by the presence of a celebrity juror: Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey, who was chosen for the jury on Monday, spent day two of the trial quietly taking notes as testimony unfolded on the charge that Dion Coleman, 26, shot and killed Walter Holley, 23.

Criminal court is a new venue for Winfrey, although she has had legal adventures of her own, having been sued - unsuccessfully - by Texas cattlemen several years ago for an on-camera remark she made about eating hamburgers.

Like all of the other Cook County Criminal Court jurors, Winfrey will be paid $17 a day for her efforts.

Unlike the rest of the panel, the billionaire talk show host and media mogul is using a side entrance to the courthouse - to avoid reporters and assorted onlookers.

Officials say that inside the courtroom, she isn't getting any special treatment.

Winfrey had told reporters she didn't think she'd be picked because she's "too opinionated."

"I would not pick me," said Winfrey, "I would not have me on a jury."

And she's hoping the trial will be a short one.

"I'm just hoping it doesn't take longer than a week," she said, "because I've got shows to do."