Jury selection resumes in Trump's hush money trial in New York
Seven jurors were selected from 96; Thursday focuses on questioning another group about impartiality on Trump. Judge aims for 12 jurors and alternates by Friday.
Jury selection resumed in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York City after a break in action Wednesday, with 57 potential jurors being dismissed as well as one who had already been sworn in.
The proceedings began with one of the seven already-selected jurors telling the judge she now had concerns that she could not be impartial. The juror, a nurse, said she had the change of heart after friends, colleagues and family members asked her if she was a juror on the case. She was dismissed from the jury after telling the judge she did not believe she could "let the outside influences not affect me in the courtroom.”
Donald Trump on the second day of jury selection at Manhattan criminal court on April 16, 2024 in New York. Justin Lane / AFP - Getty Images PoolAfter she was dismissed, Judge Juan Merchan chided the media for reporting on some of the details of jurors' appearances and places of work, and ordered the press not to report prospective jurors' answers about where they currently work and used to work going forward.
“We just lost” what would have been a good juror for the case because of such reporting, the judge said.
The judge had previously ordered the jury to be kept anonymous because of safety concerns and said Thursday, “It kinds of defeats the purpose of an anonymous jury” if people can be easily identified.
Rating: 5