On Monday, April 15, former President Trump became the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges. The process of selecting a jury proved to be difficult as by the end of the first day, no jurors had been selected, and the selection process was set to continue on Tuesday.
In the hush money case, prosecutors accused Trump of falsifying business records during the 2016 election campaign to cover up his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the form of “hush money”.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors claim that the payments made to Cohen were falsely recorded as legal fees to conceal their true purpose. Trump’s lawyers argue that these expenditures were indeed legal fees and not an attempt to cover up the facts.
Trump stated that the case is all fake, and he has been indicted for political motives to sabotage his election.
“This is a hoax. This is political persecution. It continues, and it will go on forever. We will not get a fair trial,” Trump said after leaving the courtroom.
The day began with pretrial arguments where both sides engaged in lengthy debates on unresolved legal issues. Judge Juan Merchan was considering which evidence could be admitted and whether Trump violated his gag order.
It wasn’t until around 3 pm that the jury selection phase began, with parties deciding who might be selected to determine the legal fate of the former U.S. president.
The initial group of 96 potential jurors underwent security checks before being summoned to court.
“You are about to participate in the jury trial. The jury trial system is one of the cornerstones of our judicial system,” Judge Merchan told the jury selection, “The case is called the People of the State of New York v. Donald Trump.”
However, many potential jurors quickly decided to step down.
More than half of the 96 members indicated that they could not be fair and impartial. When asked if there were other reasons they couldn’t serve as jurors, at least 9 raised their hands and were excused from jury duty.
One female potential juror was dismissed from the courtroom after expressing strong personal opinions about Trump.
In a questionnaire filled out earlier, the Harlem resident had stated she could remain neutral when deciding the case. But when asked if she had strong opinions about the former president, the woman boldly replied, “Yes.”
The court took various measures to protect the jurors’ identities from being known to the media and the public. The judge stated that both parties’ lawyers would receive a written list but were prohibited from photographing or copying it. Video signals in the room would be cut when jurors moved around.
Outside Manhattan’s courthouse, the scene was calmer compared to when Trump stood trial last year. Only a few dozen protesters showed up, surrounded by tight security personnel and swarming media.
53-year-old Ariel Kohane is one of the protesters supporting Trump. He called the trial a “farce,” believing Manhattan isn’t a fair trial location, but he remains hopeful that Trump won’t be convicted.
Wearing a “Jews for Trump” shirt, Kohane said, “If we can have one or two fair jurors, unbiased, looking at the facts justly, then they will do the right thing and declare him not guilty.”
“It will be very, very difficult for them to get a fair trial here if they can set aside politics and all emotions,” he said.
During the earlier arguments that day, Trump’s lawyers had requested the judge to recuse himself, citing a conflict of interest. However, the judge denied the defense’s request.
The defense also asked that prosecutors not present the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape, where Trump made lewd comments and vulgar remarks, to the jury. The tape was made public in October 2016.
Nevertheless, the prosecutors were allowed to ask witnesses about the tape.
Manhattan prosecutors urged the judge to fine Trump $3,000 for posts he made on social media, which they claimed violated the judge’s gag order.
Last week, Trump criticized his former lawyer Cohen and adult film actress Daniels on the “Truth Social” platform, saying, “Their lies and false statements have cost our country dearly!”
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche stated that Trump was merely responding to the witnesses’ statements.
“President Trump is not going after individuals. He is responding to the obscene, repeated violent attacks from these witnesses,” Blanche said.
Merchan is set to hold a hearing next week regarding this request.
Trump’s lawyers believe that in overwhelmingly Democratic Manhattan, jury selection has been influenced by negative reporting about Trump and argue that the case should be moved for trial elsewhere.
One appeals judge denied the emergency request to delay the trial, but the request to change the trial location will be submitted to another panel of appeals judges for consideration in the coming weeks.
Manhattan prosecutors countered that there is no reason to believe that out of the approximately 1.4 million adult residents in Manhattan, 12 fair and impartial jurors cannot be found.
Potential jurors will be asked 42 questions about their background, interests, news habits, whether they hold strong opinions about Trump that might hinder their impartiality, and whether they’ve attended pro- or anti-Trump gatherings.
Based on these answers, lawyers can motion to strike jurors if they’re deemed unfit or biased.
Lawyers also have the right to use peremptory challenges to strike ten prospective jurors and two backup jurors without giving reasons.