Finding an impartial jury in the trial of the century is proving to be a challenge. The hush money case against Donald Trump began on this third day of jury selection.
It turns out that many potential jurors already have opinions about the ex-president, while others worry about their own safety and whether their identities will be publicly exposed, even if they think they can remain impartial in the case.
Day three of Trump’s hush money trial began with seven jurors, but two were dismissed during the day, dropping the number to five before more were added.
Dozens of potential jurors filed through the lower Manhattan courtroom as the ex-president of the United States looked on. But many were excused after saying they could not remain impartial.
By the end of the day, twelve jurors had been seated. Jury selection for the alternates continues Friday.
Judge Juan Merchan said he remains hopeful that opening statements can begin Monday.
Ex-President Donald Trump awaits the start of Day 3 proceedings in Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18, 2024
Here are the big takeaways:
Twelve jurors seated after two were dismissed
Juror number two was dismissed Thursday.
One was an oncology nurse who was selected as a second juror, but she was fired after raising doubts about her ability to be fair and impartial.
The woman was brought in before the procedure began. She told the court she “definitely has my concerns now.”
The woman said her friends and family had “pushed things” and questioned her identity as a juror.
“I don’t believe I can be fair and unbiased at this point and not let outside influence influence my decision-making in the courtroom,” she said.
Merchan said he was “sorry” she had gone through that and was apologized.
Juror four was also excused after prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said his team discovered a man with the same name had been arrested for pulling down political ads.
The arrest was not disclosed on the jurors’ questionnaire.
Two replacement jurors were officially added to Trump’s panel, bringing the total back to seven by the end of the afternoon.
A married male engineer, originally from California, was added next.
A second man – who follows Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen on Twitter and former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway – also secured a spot on the jury.
By late afternoon, the full dozen jurors had assembled for the case.
Two jurors were dismissed Thursday before the full dozen jurors could be seated
The privacy of jurors is a top priority
Judge Merchan expressed concerns Thursday about juror privacy as attorneys have struggled to find a jury for the case.
Merchan said he agreed it was important to obtain information about the employers of potential jurors, but he ordered that the information be redacted from the court file and instructed the press not to report such details.
“It’s become a problem,” Merchan said.
He also said the press should not report on physical appearances of jurors that could be used to help identify them.
The guidelines came as one of the jurors expressed concerns about public identification on Thursday.
The woman said her friends, co-workers and family told her she had been identified as a potential juror and that she was concerned.
She was one of two jurors the judge ultimately dismissed.
Courtroom sketch of Trump sitting with his lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove during jury selection on day three for his criminal trial on charges of falsifying business records over hush money payments
Dozens apologized amid the struggle to find impartial jurors
Day three of the trial began with 96 new potential jurors entering the courtroom.
But 48 of those potential jurors were dismissed because they said they could not be fair or impartial.
Another nine jurors were excused for other reasons, while prosecutors and lawyers work to assemble a jury of Trump’s colleagues.
Those who remained were questioned individually.
One potential juror, a paralegal, said, “Yes, I will be unbiased. When asked whether she can put aside prejudices, I will be very impartial.
Another said she had read Trump’s “Art of the Deal” decades earlier, but said “absolutely” when asked if she could decide the case based solely on evidence and the law.
One man who grew up in Italy was excused after saying it would be a bit difficult to “maintain my impartiality and honesty” as the Italian media has a strong association with Trump.
But a break for lunch gave more potential jurors time to consider whether they could truly be impartial.
A sketch of Trump paying close attention as jurors are questioned for his criminal trial on Thursday
An attorney on the jury said she feared she might not be able to put aside her prior knowledge and thoughts about Trump’s affairs.
‘I thought about this during lunch. “I think that from spending a year discussing this case with a federal judge and law clerks, I know too much,” she said. ‘I don’t know if I can put that aside. I’m afraid it will seep in somehow.’
One said she disagreed with most of Trump’s policies, but she said she personally had no opinion about him.
Another said she doesn’t like his “persona” and how he “presents himself in public.”
“I don’t like some of my colleagues, but I’m not trying to sabotage their work,” she added.
Several potential jurors have read about Trump and others for the case
Potential jurors entering the Manhattan courtroom on Thursday are very familiar with Donald Trump.
One prospective juror said she read Trump’s book “Art of the Deal” decades ago.
Another said he had read several of Trump’s books, including “Art of the Deal” and “How to be Rich.” But the man claimed he could be a “fair and impartial juror.”
A third from Manhattan had also read “Art of the Deal.”
Potential jurors were also familiar with the expected witnesses in the case.
One woman said she read the first ten pages of Michael Cohen’s book “Disloyal” for work.
Another said he follows both Cohen and Trump’s podcast on social media. He
Ttorso sometimes seems engrossed, bores others, but keeps his mouth shut in court on day 3
Unlike the first two days of the trial, Trump did not speak to reporters when he arrived at the court on day three of his trial.
The ex-president entered the courtroom with his lawyers on Thursday morning around 9:15 am. He waved, but made no comments or answered no questions.
During a break, he also did not speak to reporters or answer questions.
At one point he raised a clenched fist at the cameras.
As potential jurors filed in, Trump finally turned and looked at them. As potential jurors occupied the jury box all day, Trump craned his neck to observe them.
Reporters who observed said Trump seemed “engrossed” in the fact that potential jurors were sitting in the jury box as they gave their answers to the questionnaire.
Other times he sat silently at the defense table and looked ahead.
Trump raised a fist as he returned from a break at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18
Prosecutors are urging the judge to charge Trump with contempt for messages
Prosecutors in the case added seven additional statements from Trump for the contempt hearing scheduled for next Tuesday.
The online posts from Trump’s Truth Social account and his campaign website attacked Michale Cohen.
The “most disturbing” was the claim on Truth Social that there were “undercover liberal activists who lied to the judge” to get on the jury.
Prosecutors have already asked the court to fine Trump $3,000 for three previous violations, but they said they were “considering our options” on what further sanctions were warranted.
“We ask that you hold the defendant in contempt,” prosecutor Chris Conroy said.
Judge Merchan said he would address it at Tuesday’s hearing.
Judge Juan M. Merchan issued a silence order against Trump
It’s cold in Manhattan’s criminal court
Throughout the day, the temperature in the courtroom was repeatedly discussed, but the judge refused to turn up the heat.
Trump joked with reporters “is it cold enough?” when he went outside for a lunch break.
Earlier in the day, his lead attorney Todd Blanche approached Merchan and asked if he could make the court even warmer.
Merchan agreed it was cold, but warned that turning up the heat would lead to a temperature spike.
Later, Merchan even apologized to potential jurors for the cold, but said, “It’s one extreme or the other.”
In the late afternoon, Trump was heard telling an aide, “It’s freezing.”
