Twelve jurors and one other person were sworn into service in the criminal trial against the former President of the United States Donald Trumpas the third day of his court proceedings in New York ends.
Thursday saw Trump return to court after a weekly break on Wednesday. There, lawyers for both the defense and the prosecution continued to fight over which candidates should be selected from the jury pool.
But the proceedings started with a setback. Seven lawyers was selected and sworn in on Tuesday – only for two of those jurors to be dismissed during Thursday’s hearing.
But jury selection quickly got back on track – and a process that could sometimes stretch for weeks was wrapped up in two hours, with seven more jurors selected for the panel of 12 people.
Then, it was time for the lawyers and the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, to turn their attention to the deputies.
Merchan has indicated that he intends to have six more jurors for Trump’s trial, in case any of the main members of the jury have to be replaced. By late Thursday, one had been sworn in, with five more elected as early as Friday.
Trump is impeached 34 felony counts about emptying business records, re cash payments he allegedly made out with adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He has appealed innocent.
Jury selection for a fair and impartial verdict has been a major stumbling block in the proceedings thus far. Here are the highlights from the third day of the historic test:
Former President Donald Trump will be present at the start of the court proceedings on April 18 [Jeenah Moon/Pool via AP Photo]
A full panel of jurors
The defense and prosecution quickly whittled down a second batch of 96 potential jurors on Thursday, with many quickly dismissed after saying they could not be fair and unbiased.
The rest completed the 42-point questionnaire, asking them about their work, educational background and media habits.
The prosecution and defense then had the opportunity to address and question the potential jurors in a process known as “voir dire”. Both sides reminded the jury of their obligations to the court.
“The problem with prejudices is that they color how you look at the world. What you believe and maybe not,” said Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump’s defense. “We wouldn’t allow someone who has a deep dislike for a certain type of people to sit on a jury like that.”
In the end, seven more jurors were selected, completing the jury with 12 members. One more person was nominated.
Another group of prospective jurors were sworn in by the end of the day, with the search expected to continue Friday for other alternates.
A courtroom sketch shows defense attorney Todd Blanche whispering to Donald Trump in court on April 18 [Jane Rosenberg/Reuters]
The dismissed lawyer describes public pressure
But Thursday’s additions to the jury panel came after some losses.
The jury in Trump’s trial is supposed to remain anonymous. But the woman explained that she had started to face questions from her acquaintances about her participation in the trial.
“I don’t believe at this point that I can be fair and impartial and let outside influences affect my decisions in the courtroom,” said the a jury
Judge Merchan finally excused himself from the jury panel. He reiterated that “after sleeping on it overnight, she had concerns about her ability to be fair and impartial in this case”.
Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the criminal trial of Donald Trump in New York City [File: Seth Wenig/AP Photo]
Questions raised about the second lawyer who was dismissed
But the nurse was only the first of two jurors sitting since Tuesday to be dismissed. The second man was facing questions about the truth of the information he gave to the court.
Prosecutors raised concerns earlier in the day that the juror, identified in media reports as an IT professional, may have misrepresented himself when he answered a question about whether he had ever been charged or to be convicted of a crime.
He answered no. But on Thursday, prosecutors noted that a man with the same name was arrested in the 1990s for tearing down political posters in Westchester County, a suburb north of New York City.
Without offering details, Judge Merchan eventually accepted the lawyer’s apology. “He doesn’t have to come back and he shouldn’t come back on Monday morning,” he told the court.
With that, the original seven jurors seated Tuesday fell to five.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass led the prosecutor’s “voir dire” on Thursday [File: John Minchillo/AP Photo]
Caution about protecting the identity of the jury pool
With one of the previously seated jurors citing privacy concerns as a reason for leaving, Judge Merchan issued a stern warning to the court about protecting the privacy of the jury pool.
“There’s a reason this is an anonymous jury,” Merchan said. “It defeats the purpose of that when so much information is put out there that it’s very easy for anyone to identify who the jurors are. “
Last month, Merchan decided that the jury would not be announced publicly, given the sensitivity of the case – and the risk of jurors being harassed or intimidated.
Apart from the judge and the court administrators, only the prosecutors and the defense may receive personal information about the candidates, in order to make informed decisions about jury selection.
But that creates a dilemma for the media covering the trial, as they try to record other details about the jury candidates – without revealing their identities.
On Thursday, Judge Merchan tightened the restrictions, asking journalists to stop reporting on potential jurors’ physical appearance, as well as details about their work history.
Defense attorney Susan Necheles, center left, is seen at the entrance to the Manhattan criminal courthouse on April 18 [Jeenah Moon/Pool via AP Photo]
A literal chill falls over the courtroom
The comfort of the jury pool came up in a different way later in the day, as the judge dealt with the cold conditions in the courtroom.
The criminal Manhattan court house where the experiment is taking place is an Art Deco building that is more than 80 years old: The construction was completed in 1941.
Judge Merchan cited the oldest infrastructure in setting aside a request by Trump attorney Todd Blanche to raise the thermostat.
“There is no doubt that it is cold, but I would rather be a little cold than sweat,” said the judge.
But protests continued, especially from Trump himself. As he left for lunch, the former president stopped by the rows of reporters sitting in the courtroom and asked, “Is it cold enough?”
The freezing temperatures were enough to get a second opinion from Judge Merchan later in the day.
“I want to apologize that it’s cold in here,” Merchan said, earning laughter from the court. “We’re trying to do everything we can to control the temperature, but it’s one end or the other.”
Former US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about articles covering his trial in New York [Timothy A Clary/Pool via Reuters]
Witnesses under wraps
In one of the last moments before the end of the proceedings on Thursday, Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche asked the prosecution for the names of the first witnesses they planned to call.
But a lawyer for the prosecution, Joshua Steinglass, refused to give the names, pointing out that Trump had a habit of putting witnesses on his social media account.
Blanche insisted that Trump could “promise the court and the people” that he would not write posts about any witnesses.
But Judge Merchan cast doubt on that argument. “He won’t tweet about any witnesses? I don’t think you can make that representation,” he said before proceedings were adjourned for the day.
“These are all stories over the past few days from legal experts,” he said, flipping through the thick pages. “All these stories from legal experts say this is not true. The case is ridiculous.”
Trump is currently facing a total of four criminal charges, including the New York case. April’s proceedings make him the first US president, past or present, to stand trial on criminal charges.
The former president has denied wrongdoing in all cases. He also runs for re-election this November.
2024-04-18 22:30:38
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