Topline
Jury selection concluded on Friday in former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial, with all 12 jurors and six alternates empaneled, after scores of potential jurors were excused following a rigorous round of questioning over bias.
A group of prospective jurors were asked whether they believe they can be fair and impartial in ... [+]
Key Facts
All 12 primary jurors—seven men and five women—were seated by Thursday after days of extensive questioning by attorneys for both sides of the trial.
The foreperson is a salesman originally from Ireland, and the other jurors are two attorneys (a corporate lawyer and a civil litigator), an investment banker, a security engineer, an English language teacher, a software engineer, a retired wealth manager, a speech therapist, a man working at an eyewear company, a product development manager and a physical therapist.
One juror said he has read quotes from Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” and while all 12 were determined to be impartial in the case and several said they didn’t follow the news closely, one said she believes Trump “seems very selfish and self-serving,” and another said she does “not agree with a lot of his politics.”
Six alternate jurors who could be called in if needed include a woman originally from Spain, an event manager, a contract specialist, a clothing company employee, an analyst who grew up in England and Hong Kong and a project manager.
Jurors faced a string of questions from defense attorneys and prosecutors, with prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asking prospective jurors if they have seen news reports of the case that have affected their opinions on it, and if they could set aside the media reports they’ve seen while sitting on the bench.
Jurors were also required to answer 42 questions in what Judge Juan Merchan called the “most exhaustive questionnaire” the court had ever used, with questions running the gamut from prospective jurors’ job history, and which news outlets they follow, to whether they have attended a Trump rally or support any of a number of fringe groups such as QAnon.
Surprising Fact
One of the prospective jurors who had initially been seated—a nurse—was excused on Thursday after telling the court that people she knows have identified her as a juror and that she “definitely has concerns” on whether she can be impartial. Another excused juror who was previously seated, an IT consultant, was excused after prosecutors claimed a person with the same name was arrested for “tearing down political advertisements” in the 1990s, raising eyebrows as to whether he truthfully answered a question on his prior experience with law enforcement. Many other jurors were excused after expressing concerns they could not be impartial, or because either the defense or prosecutors struck them. One was removed over social media posts that said of Trump “locl him up,” while another who professed negative political views of Trump had social media posts indicating they fundraise for a PAC they said “supports grassroots organizations.”
Key Background
Trump was indicted on 34 felony charges in Manhattan last March—the former president and 2024 GOP nominee’s first of four criminal indictments since launching his latest presidential campaign. Prosecutors in the case allege Trump falsified business records by mislabeling a $420,000 payment to former attorney Michael Cohen to allegedly cover the cost of a $130,000 hush money payment to former adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, which Trump allegedly labeled that payment as a legal fee to Cohen. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Tangent
While the names of the jurors have not been released, potential witnesses in the trial could include a group of Trump’s former associates and members of his family. Among the potential witnesses are former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House staffers Hope Hicks and Steve Bannon, as well as Trump’s adult children and his wife, Melania Trump.
Chief Critic
Trump has sounded off against both Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg, who brought the felony charges, and Merchan, in the year since his indictment in New York, repeatedly bashing the case as a “witch hunt.” On Tuesday morning, the former president slammed Merchan again, claiming he “prohibited” him from attending his youngest son Barron Trump’s high school graduation on May 17, and while Merchan did not immediately grant Trump’s request to skip the trial for the ceremony, he did not outright deny Trump’s request, either. In his response, Merchan said his decision on whether or not to grant Trump’s request “depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”
Further Reading
