Seven Manhattan residents selected to serve on former president's jury Donald Trump's criminal trial Lawyers from both sides clashed Tuesday over which potential juror should be seated, and the judge warned the defendants to remain silent.
During the selection process, anonymous members of the jury were known only by letters and numbers, such as B400 and B280. There are 4 men and 3 women, ranging from young to middle-aged. They include a salesman, a nurse, two lawyers, an IT consultant, a teacher, and a software engineer. The three grew up in different places, including Ireland, Oregon, and Puerto Rico.
They are answered all questions They spoke about their backgrounds and opinions on Trump before being selected as jurors for one of the most high-profile trials in American history.
One member, a nurse, said:[doesn’t] “I really do have the former president's opinions. She promised that she was here out of her 'civic duty' and to 'hear the facts.' “My family is my hobby,” said the IT consultant, who admitted she found Mr. Trump. It's fascinating and mysterious. ”
The teacher said she has friends who have strong opinions about President Trump, but added that she doesn't have much interest in politics or the news. “President Trump says what he thinks, and I prefer that to the presidency where you don't know what he's thinking,” she said. She was unaware that President Trump was facing criminal charges in other cases.
Jurors were advised by Mr Marchan to plan to return for opening statements on Monday, April 22nd. Marchan said the court will let jurors know if plans change.
At least five more players must be chosen, plus six alternates. Around 80 people have been excused since questioning began on Monday. Most of them said they could not make an impartial decision on the case involving Mr. Trump. Some were fired based on their answers to questions about their political beliefs or social media posts.
2nd day of jury selection
Six jurors were selected and sworn in together in the early afternoon. A seventh person was added after further questioning of another group of potential members. The trial will not be held on Wednesday, so the jury selection process will resume on Thursday.
Comments from the former president could be heard Tuesday in a dispute over a Facebook post by a potential juror expressing celebration after Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election. For this reason, Judge Juan Marchan ordered Mr. Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, to speak with his client.
“Mr. Blanche, I heard your client say something. I heard him gesticulating and speaking in the direction of the jury. I accept that. No,” Marchan said. “I have no intention of intimidating jurors in this courtroom. I want to make that clear.”
Blanche had asked the judge to dismiss the jury over a video posted that showed people cheering on the streets of New York. The woman said in court that she wanted to capture a “celebratory moment in New York City,” and likened her cheers to a night of celebrations for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She claimed she could remain impartial during her trial.
A judge initially said she gave reasonable explanations for both posts, but she was ultimately overruled. She said she also forgave another man who posted about President Trump's “illegal travel ban” and wrote, “Kick him out and lock him up.”
These disputes arose after prosecutors and defense attorneys had their first opportunity to directly question potential jurors who had passed the first stage of vetting. Earlier, Joshua Steinglass of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office told jurors the case “has nothing to do with your politics.”
“I'm not saying you have to have been living under a rock for the past eight years or the past 30 years,” he says. “We don't think you haven't heard about this or talked about this with your friends. What we need is for you to keep an open mind. ”
The first group of potential jurors were sworn in Monday after pretrial arguments over rules of evidence and procedure. About two-thirds of the group of 96 New Yorkers were immediately fired, and most said they could not be fair and impartial in the trial. Others were exempted for various reasons. The lengthy process of identifying suitable jurors is likely to take at least a week.
More jurors were sent home throughout the day Tuesday. One woman was fired due to flu-like symptoms. Several people said they could not be fair or impartial, including a man who moved to Manhattan from Texas and said he got his news from sources like Fox News and Barstool Sports. “It would be difficult to be fair,” he said, since many of his family and friends from an early age were Republicans. Machan appreciated his candor and forgave him.
“Hush money” case
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been charged with 34 state felonies for falsifying business records related to federal law. Payment of “hush money” His lawyer hired adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has said the charges are part of a Democratic conspiracy to prevent him from taking back the White House. This case is the first of four criminal charges against President Trump to go to trial.
President Trump, who entered the courtroom Tuesday, called the trial “a sham” and said the charges should have been dismissed.
“This is a trial that should never have happened. It should have been thrown out a long time ago,” he told reporters.
At several points during Monday morning's arguments, Trump appeared to fall asleep at the defense table, briefly dropping his chin to his chest. In one instance, he was woken up by his lawyer. He appeared to be dozing off in several places Tuesday as well.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks and will be held on weekdays except Wednesday, with some days shortened for the Passover holiday. Trump is required to attend. This schedule severely limits President Trump's ability to attack. Campaign trajectorywhich he cited to support his claim of political bias.
“I would be campaigning in Pennsylvania right now, Florida, a lot of other states (North Carolina, Georgia),” President Trump said Tuesday.