No white women yet on Harv jury

Harvey Weinstein’s defense lawyers have “eliminated every single white female” from the pool of jurors for his rape and sex assault trial, a prosecutor complained Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Three black women, one black man and three white men were seated in the jury box on Thursday, the eighth day of jury selection. Five more jurors and six alternates, are needed before the trial begins.

Men who either have money or “manage wealth” have not been stricken from the jury pool and are favored by Weinstein’s lawyers, said Manhattan Assistant DA Joan Illuzzi.

But the lawyers have used all their peremptory challenges to keep white women off the panel, Illuzzi charged.

“They have now peremptorily challenged every young white woman in this prospective jury,” Illuzzi said.

Defense lawyer Donna Rotunno shot back that Weinstein’s lawyers are just “trying to pick a fair jury.”

Weinstein’s defense isn’t trying to pack the jury with wealthy people, Rotunno said — noting that the defense felt one woman’s “upper middle class” background was among reasons they felt she wouldn’t be able to judge the credibility of witnesses.

Also, Rotunno said, the defense struck two other potential women jurors because they’d written about women’s rights and gender issues.

“This is not some conspiracy against the state,” Rotunno said.

Justice James Burke overruled Illuzzi’s objection.

Earlier Thursday, supermodel Gigi Hadid was excused from the case. Hadid, 24, was dismissed shortly after she arrived at court in the morning, and the prosecution and defense agreed to her departure, said court officials.

During Monday’s court session, Hadid told Burke she had met Weinstein and potential witness Salma Hayek “and possibly Ryan Beatty,” but still felt she could consider the case with “an open mind on the facts.”

Burke told the jury panel on Thursday that the only issue before them is whether Weinstein is guilty or not.