[JURIST] The federal trial of former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell [Wikipedia profile] on charges of corruption opened Tuesday with jury selection. Campbell, who served as mayor from 1994 to 2002, has strongly denied charges [indictment summary, PDF] of racketeering, fraud and bribery, which included accepting more than $160,000 in illegal contributions in return for city contracts during his administration. He was charged [JURIST report; US Attorney's news release] in August 2004, following what was ultimately a seven-year investigation that led to the convictions of 10 others from Campbell's administration. Jury selection is expected to take up much of the week, with the trial expected to begin Monday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has local coverage [registration required]. AP has more.