Fearful juror excused in Trump trial
NEW YORK
A juror who had been selected for Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan was abruptly excused Thursday, demonstrating the challenges of picking a jury to decide the fate of the polarizing former president.
The woman told the judge overseeing the case that she had developed concerns about her identity becoming public. Although the judge has kept prospective jurors’ names private, they have disclosed their employers and other identifying information in court.
After excusing her, Judge Juan M. Merchan instructed reporters to no longer detail where a prospective juror works. “I have the legal authority to do it,” the judge said of blocking the news media from reporting identifying employer information.
It was the latest twist in the first criminal trial of any former president, bringing the current number of jurors down to six. Lawyers on both sides of the case will now seek to replace her — and find several more.
Prosecutors also raised concerns about a second juror who had been selected, saying the district attorney’s office had obtained information that called into question the veracity of the juror’s answers to previous questions. Merchan said he wanted to hear from the juror, who was not in court Thursday morning, before making a decision.
Seven jurors had been selected Tuesday for the case, which stems from a hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, she threatened to go public with her account of a sexual encounter with Trump. Prosecutors say Trump concealed her story, and others, to influence the election.
Trump has denied having sex with Daniels or breaking any laws. But prosecutors say he falsified business records to cover up the sex scandal, and charged him last year with 34 felony counts. If the jury convicts Trump, he faces up to four years behind bars.
Here’s what else to know about Day 3:
Prosecutors have quizzed potential jurors on topics including the rule of law, flawed witnesses and whether they believed people could be guilty of crimes that they helped plan but did not carry out. But the defense is heavily focused on a single question: “What is your opinion of President
Trump?” The defense team repeatedly questioned prospective jurors over their feelings about the former president.
Trump has often complained that he is treated “unfairly,” by the news media, political opponents and critics, and the prosecutors who have brought charges against him. Now the question of fairness — how people view Trump’s treatment by prosecutors, and whether prospective jurors can judge him impartially — is at the heart of a laborious process of jury selection.
Before the prospective jurors can even be queried by the lawyers, they must respond to a series of 42 questions.
The inquiries include what neighborhood they live in, their marital status, the programs they might listen to on talk radio or whether they have attended one of Trump’s rallies.