Jury selection in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial concluded on Friday, with six alternates selected to serve alongside the panel of 12 jurors, paving the way for opening statements to begin on Monday. The completion of the jury came amid a tense day in court, with two jurors breaking down in tears and three being excused after expressing anxiety about being on the case.
The day began with Judge Juan Merchan calling up the remaining 22 potential jurors from the previous pool of 96 to answer questions designed to indicate whether they could be fair and impartial about the divisive real estate mogul and presumptive Republican nominee for president. The first of those potential jurors was dismissed after she expressed concerns about her ability to be fair, citing "really, really bad anxiety" and people finding out where she was.
Throughout the day, several potential jurors were dismissed for various reasons, including expressing doubt about their ability to remain impartial, becoming emotional during questioning, and having served prison time on drug-related charges. Judge Merchan, who had previously chided reporters for disclosing too much information about potential jurors, encouraged the press to "please be kind" to a woman who had shared "very personal things about her life" and was ultimately dismissed.
Trump appeared most interested in jurors whose answers offered ambiguity around their personal political views, with his attorney Todd Blanche passing notes back and forth with the former president during the questioning process. The main panel of 12, selected by the end of Thursday, is made up of seven men and five women from various professional backgrounds, including lawyers, a teacher, a retired wealth manager, and a physical therapist.
Outside the courthouse, a man set himself on fire at about the same time jury selection was completed, according to a witness. The NYPD spokesperson said the man was in critical condition and appeared to have had pamphlets describing a conspiracy involving cryptocurrency. The incident took place inside an area set aside for demonstrators.
On his way into court, Trump again complained that the case against him is "unfair" and that the partial gag order preventing him from lashing out at witnesses, prosecutors, court staffers, and jurors is not "constitutional." Prosecutors have asked the judge to fine Trump and hold him in contempt for social media posts that they said violate the gag order, with a hearing on the matter scheduled for Tuesday.
Judge Merchan is also expected to hold a Sandoval hearing on Friday, designed to let defendants know the scope of questions they could face from prosecutors on cross-examination so they can make informed decisions about whether to take the witness stand in their own defense. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has disclosed that it would like to ask Trump about several items, including the $464 million civil judgment against him and his company for fraud, and the total $88 million verdicts and liability findings for sexual abuse and defamation in lawsuits brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and faces up to four years in prison if convicted. The charges stem from allegations that Trump falsified records to hide money he was paying his former lawyer Michael Cohen to reimburse him for $130,000 he paid adult film actor Stormy Daniels near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the cases and is appealing the fraud judgment and the Carroll verdicts.
As the trial is set to begin with opening statements on Monday, the completion of jury selection marks a significant milestone in the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The emotional and tense atmosphere surrounding the case, both inside and outside the courthouse, underscores the high stakes and divisive nature of the proceedings.
