Tuesday's search for 12 unbiased jurors began when counsel for former president Donald Trump, known for his unfettered social media use, questioned New Yorkers' ability to assess him fairly.
Interviewing outside the courthouse Monday, a prospective juror called Trump “totally guilty”. The next day, an American history instructor was struck from a rapidly shrinking pool of over 500 New Yorkers.
Lawyers dug out old social media posts, pressed jurors to explain conflicting responses, and tried to eliminate candidates they thought could jeopardize their case.
Trump is defending himself against 34 felony counts of falsifying company records for allegedly organizing a 2016 presidential election hush money payment to a porn star. He denies all charges.
Trump's primary attorney, Todd Blanche, took scribbled notes while his attorneys intently monitored each juror. Some answers made me smile. Trump primarily faced forward.
First-round selection began with 96 jurors. More than half were excused by Tuesday for failure to be fair and unbiased. That left 34. Six were chosen from 18 in the jury box. Six more were brought in and reduced to one.
After two days, seven jurors—a former waiter, an oncology nurse, an attorney, an IT consultant, a teacher, and a software engineer—were seated by late afternoon. Merchan believed a 12-person New York jury and six alternates may be appointed by week's end. Trial resumes Thursday and Friday.
He told selected jurors to return at 9:30 a.m. Monday, indicating that the selection process will likely be complete by then. TikTok. YouTube. A 20-year high school teacher stated she was accidentally added to The Daily Caller's email list. “I don’t generally read the emails,” she said before getting stuck.
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