The government corruption trial of former Gov. Don Siegelman, two former aides, and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy is scheduled to start May 1 and some court officials are predicting it will not be over before the June 6 primary election.

If that is true, it will be an injustice to Siegelman who is seeking election again as governor. This case needs to be resolved one way or the other before June 6 because the voters have the right to know Siegelman’s fate before election day.

A federal judge seated a racially diverse jury Friday and refused to delay the start of the trial.

The jury, which includes six alternates, is equally divided by race and gender, with nine blacks and nine whites, as well as nine women and nine men.

Defense and prosecution attorneys selected the jury following two days of questioning more than 70 potential jurors.

The jurors will get a week off and then return May 1 for the start of testimony.

Siegelman has said his indictment is nothing more than politics and has said he believes Gov. Bob Riley and other Republicans are behind it.

We don’t know that to be true, but that is what the jury is for.

But we strongly believe Siegelman has the right to run for governor just like the others and this case should have been long gone by now.

Siegelman said he’s anxious to get the trial started.

“This has nothing to do with a conviction. It has everything to do with the 2006 governor’s race,” he said.

Chief prosecutor Louis Franklin said the case has no connection to the governor’s race, and the evidence at trial will show that.

A federal grand jury indicted Siegelman, Scrushy and former Siegelman Cabinet members Paul Hamrick and Mack Roberts last year. Siegelman is accused of working with his two aides to swap political actions for gifts and campaign donations.