The six jurors sworn in for the Trump trial: A teacher, corporate lawyer, nurse and man who called ex-president ‘fascinating’ are selected for quiet money panel after tough questioning
By the end of day two of Donald Trump’s hush money trial, six potential jurors had survived a 42-question questionnaire, a 30-minute grilling by prosecutors followed by another 30 minutes of probing by the defense.
Some had had their posts on social media scrutinized or been stared at by the defendant.
Their prize is a seat at one of the most significant trials in American history.
No wonder some watched in horror as they walked to the jury box to take their seats and be sworn in.
“This will be your permanent seat throughout the trial,” said Judge Juan Merchan, who recused himself at repeated defense delays only to be installed at the end of Tuesday’s trial.
Six jurors were sworn in Tuesday afternoon. Now the court has to find six more (plus six alternates who will also hear all the evidence if they have to trade in later)
Donald Trump sits between his lawyers in courtroom 1530 in Manhattan Criminal Court as jury selection continued for a second day Tuesday. But in the end six jurors had been sworn
He must find six more jurors plus six alternates this week if he is to meet his goal of opening statements on Monday.
These are the six jurors so far:
B400 Fox News and the TheWSTNews reader
A man originally from Ireland who now lives in West Harlem will take the number one seat in the jury box. He said he works in sales and used to be a waiter.
In his spare time, he likes to do everything “outdoors”.
He lives with his spouse and (like many who appeared before the court) has no children.
One of the challenges for the defense has been finding jurors in liberal Manhattan who don’t get all their news from the New York Times or NPR.
Juror B400 said he reads the TheWSTNews and watches Fox News as well as the New York Times and MSNBC.
The defense and prosecution spent a day and a half trying to remove someone with strong feelings about the most famous defendant in the country
B280 – Oncology nurse
The juror in seat two said she had lived on the Upper East Side for the past three years.
She lives with her fiance, who works in finance, and enjoys spending time with friends and taking her dog to the park.
She elicited a moment of laughter when asked by defense attorney Todd Blanche what opinions she had about Donald Trump.
“I didn’t even know I was walking into this,” she said, sending a wave of giggles through a packed courtroom as reporters and members of the public watched a video feed. “I thought I was going home.”
She was adamant that she could be impartial in her judgment.
‘I am here for my civic duty. I’m here to listen to the facts,” she said
Trump aide Jason Miller is seen arriving at the courthouse. He sat at the back of the court
B381 The Oregonian
A man of Asian appearance with black hair, in his late 20s or early 30s, according to courtroom reporters. He will take place three.
He is originally from Oregon and has lived in Chelsea for five years. He said he is a corporate attorney at Gunderson Dettmer and likes to hike and run.
Trump listened intently as he gave his answers to the questionnaire, holding his own copy close to his face as he did so.
Later in the day, during the 30-minute ‘voir dire’ session, where lawyers were given their turn to ask questions, he was asked if it was possible to determine someone’s intent from their actions.
“I don’t think I need to read someone’s mind to read their intentions,” he said.
B89 The Trump Observer
Judge number four is an older man with receding gray hair, originally from Puerto Rico.
He lives on the Lower East Side and is an independent IT consultant.
“I have no free time,” he said when asked about his past times. “I think my hobby is my family.”
He brought an appreciative smile from the defendant later in the day when asked about his opinion of Trump.
“Fascinating,” he said, like a naturalist about a wild animal. ‘He goes into a room and drops people off.
“He makes things interesting.”
Blanche, the defense attorney, was almost at a loss for words as Trump leaned back in his chair and laughed his approval. “Um, okay,” said the lawyer. ‘Thank you.’
In this courtroom sketch, former US President Donald Trump sits as his attorney Todd Blanche, right, speaks during the second day of jury selection
Trump gives a thumbs up as he returns from a recess during the second day of his trial
A supporter of Trump drives in a van outside the criminal court in Manhattan on Tuesday
B374 The Harlem teacher
A young black woman from Harlem who describes herself as a native New Yorker and works as an English language arts teacher.
She said she lives with her brother, who is a basketball coach. And she explained as she ran through the questionnaire on Tuesday morning that she got her news from Google and TikTok.
That might not have sounded promising for Trump and his team, except for another detail she revealed.
Both her mother and godfather were retired from the NYPD; he had been a homicide sergeant.
She also said she could be impartial.
“There was a divide in the country and I can’t ignore that,” she said. ‘I’ve never equated it to one person though.’
B297 – The Software Engineer
A young female software engineer who lives in Chelsea with three roommates and is employed by Walt Disney.
She said her interests include acting, restaurants, dancing and watching TV.
And she said she gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok.
She said her sister is getting married in September. Would that be a problem?
“If we were still here in September it would be a big problem,” Judge Merchan said.
She takes place number six in the jury box.