RPV resident and controversial federal judge gets jury duty

Imagine being the prosecutor or defense attorney on a normally run-of-the-mill one-count armed robbery trial, but presenting your case before one of the country's highest-ranking judges. Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is one of the jurors deciding whether defendant Raymond Sequeria, 33, is guilty or not in a Torrance Superior Court trial.

During closing arguments today before Judge Steven Van Sicklen, Kozinski - the only panelist wearing a jacket and tie - seemed relaxed and attentive as Deputy District Attorney Ken Fuller argued the case.

Kozinski, who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, made headlines a couple months ago when his personal Web site containing sexual images was outed by a foe while the judge was presiding over a high-profile obscenity trial. Links to the Web site are no longer accessible, but click here for a story about it.