Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in a New York City courtroom on Monday as jury selection begins in what amounts to a historic moment in U.S. history: the first-ever criminal trial against a former president.
Potential jurors will face scrutiny over whether they can fairly try the case in which President Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy. The real estate mogul is scheduled to appear in Manhattan Supreme Court around 9:30 a.m., amidst public scrutiny. Daniels before the 2016 election.
Trump, 77, claimed he would not receive a fair trial in Democratic-leaning Manhattan, where he lost the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections in landslides.
But in the borough of 1.6 million people, the court only needs 12 vetted jurors and six alternates to begin opening statements.
Court officials expect the process to take some time.
Lawyers on both sides have unlimited opportunities to punish jurors for so-called “just cause,” and about 10 chances to attack jurors with no questions asked.
But they agreed not to dismiss jurors purely on political grounds, which is consistent with how politically charged cases have been handled in New York in the past.
It would also be prohibited to dismiss jurors based on race, gender, religion or nationality.
Potential panelists may be members of extremist groups like QAnon or Antifa, or have strong opinions or beliefs about President Trump that would prevent them from making a judgment based on the incident. , are expected to read out loud their answers to a long list of questions. On evidence.
Lawyers for President Trump and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office cannot directly ask jurors about their political affiliation. However, Judge Juan Melchan said, “The answer to that question may be easier to find out from other answers, such as which news outlets you read or watch.”
Potential jurors’ names will be kept anonymous, but lawyers and consultants on both sides will have access to them.
Legal experts say consultants will comb through the online presence of all potential jurors in one of the most high-profile trials in U.S. history to ensure they are not harboring any hidden bias. That’s what it means.
The goal of this process is to find jurors that both parties think they will like, even if they don’t love them.
“This is actually jury elimination,” Anna Kominsky, who teaches criminal law at New York Law School, told the Post. She said: “Both sides will try to take out the worst and hopefully we can come to a middle ground with a jury that agrees to be fair and impartial.”
Every juror matters. A single hold can be the difference between a guilty or not guilty verdict or a hung jury. And in light of the upcoming elections, it is unclear whether the case could be heard a second time.
President Trump is accused of falsely stating in company documents that he was paying his then-attorney Michael Cohen for “legal services” when in fact he was repaying hush money to Daniels. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Each count carries a potential sentence of up to four years in prison, but it is unclear whether prosecutors will seek to send Trump to prison if convicted.
