The media will have to be patient until after the trial, when the judge will unseal the documents, to have access to R. Kelly's files.

Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan wrote that he found the decision necessary in order to assure the defendant, Robert Kelly, a fair trial.

The media, represented by The Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press and Chicago Public Radio, said that the public had a constitutional right to observe the process and asked for the records of the hearings to be released.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, although the judge recognized the importance of the media and said that his intention was not to “inhibit the press,” he also said that his ruling is “narrowly tailored” to keep intact Kelly's rights. To sustain his point of view, Gaughan cited a 2004 ruling in Michael Jackson's criminal case.

According to The New York Times, the jury for the trial was selected. The final group includes an African-American woman married to a Baptist preacher, a young white woman who is on the way to become a police officer, a 68-year-old Romanian immigrant and a college graduate who was once arrested for marijuana possession.

Artist R. Kelly, 41, was indicted on June 5, 2002, after a videotape that showed the artist having sex with a girl as young as 13 appeared. He pleaded not guilty and the opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday.