Topline
Two of the seven seated jurors in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial were excused Thursday—one after telling the court that people she knew had identified her from press reports and she wasn’t sure if she could remain unbiased—as Judge Juan Merchan restricted how much the press can report about potential jurors in the case.
Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during his criminal trial as jury selection ... [+]
Key Facts
The first dismissed juror—a nurse identified only as “Juror 2”—told the court she “definitely has concerns now” about whether she could be impartial in the case, CNN reports, citing the fact that friends, family and colleagues had reached out to her based on press reports to ask if she was involved with the case.
Juror 2 previously said during jury selection she “didn’t really” have an opinion of Trump and believed “no one is above the law.”
Merchan excused the juror as a result, telling the press present in the courtroom that they should no longer report on jurors’ physical appearances or anything that isn’t on the record.
The judge also ruled that while the court will continue to ask potential jurors about their current and former employers, that information will be redacted on the court record, and journalists should not report it—telling the press and counsel that doing so has “become a problem,” according to CNN.
Another previously seated juror, an IT consultant who previously described Trump as “fascinating and mysterious,” was also excused Thursday, after prosecutors alleged someone with their same name was arrested in the 1990s for “tearing down political advertisements,” The New York Times reports, and the jurors’ wife was allegedly previously a participant in a corruption inquiry by the Manhattan district attorney’s office—none of which the juror disclosed to the court.
Merchan excused the juror after he spoke to the judge and attorneys in a private sidebar that could not be overheard by the press.
Surprising Fact
Though it doesn’t appear to be the reason behind his dismissal from the case, the Times reports the judge said the second excused juror also “expressed annoyance” at the amount of information that had been made public about him.
What To Watch For
Jury selection is expected to continue through the end of the week, with Merchan saying Tuesday he believed opening arguments in the trial would tentatively begin Monday morning. The jury is not yet complete, as only five people have now been sworn in as jurors—previously seven—and 12 jurors plus six alternates are ultimately needed in total. Once the trial gets underway with opening arguments, it is expected to last for approximately six weeks.
Key Background
Trump has been indicted on 34 felony counts of falsification of business records based on reimbursement payments he made to ex-attorney Michael Cohen, who paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 election to cover up her alleged affair with Trump. Trump then reimbursed Cohen $420,000—also covering a separate expense, bonus, and enough to cover taxes—in a series of payments made throughout 2017, which prosecutors allege were made through the Trump Organization and falsely labeled as legal expenses. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, decrying the case as a “witch hunt.” Jury selection in the trial began on Monday, with jurors required to answer a 42-question survey to help determine whether they can serve. Potential jurors’ political biases in the case have eliminated many from the jury pool, with more than half of the first group of jurors called—more than 50 people—immediately being excused on Monday after saying they could not be impartial in the case.
Further Reading
