Lawyers select 12 jurors to serve in Trump hush-money case

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court with his legal team as jury selection continues in New York, NY on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign. Jabin Botsford/Pool via REUTERS

By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Lawyers in Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial on Thursday selected 12 jurors who will assess his guilt or innocence over the coming weeks in a case stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star.

Lawyers for the defense and the prosecution still must select alternate jurors for the trial, the first ever in which a former U.S. president is the defendant.

Opening statements could take place on Monday, said Justice Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the trial.

Earlier in the day, Merchan dismissed a juror who said she felt intimidated that some personal information was made public.

The judge also excused another juror after prosecutors said he may not have disclosed prior brushes with the law.

New York, NY – April 18 : Former U.S. President Donald Trump walks out of the courtroom during a break at Manhattan criminal court as jury selection continues in New York, NY on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign. Jabin Botsford/Pool via REUTERS

Trump’s outsized public presence created unique problems during the jury selection process, which started on Monday.

Roughly half of the first 196 jurors screened in heavily Democratic Manhattan were dismissed after saying they could not assess the evidence impartially.

The Republican politician’s criticism of witnesses, prosecutors, the judge and their relatives in this case and others has also sparked concerns about harassment, prompting Merchan to impose a partial gag order.

Former US President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 18, 2024. Trump’s criminal trial resumes Thursday with Judge Juan Merchan seeking to complete jury selection. Moving the US into uncharted waters, it is the first criminal trial of a former US president, one who is also battling to retake the White House in November. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Pool via REUTERS

Merchan dismissed the juror who said she felt intimidated after family, friends and colleagues had deduced that she had been selected for the trial.

“I don’t believe at this point that I can be fair and unbiased, and let the outside influences not affect my decision-making in the courtroom,” the juror said.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election, also faces criminal cases in Washington, Georgia and Florida, but the New York case is the only one certain to go to trial this year. Officials involved in those cases have reported receiving death threats and harassment after being criticized by Trump.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits beside his lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove during jury selection of his criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, U.S. April 18, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four cases and has said, without evidence, that they are part of a broad-ranging effort by allies of Democratic President Joe Biden to hobble his candidacy.

A conviction would not bar him from taking office.

In New York, Trump is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment his former lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says they had a decade earlier.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and denies any such encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump departs on the day of his trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, outside Trump Tower, in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018 and served prison time for making those payments, and Trump’s lawyers are expected to attack his credibility as a witness.

“Some of the witnesses have what you might consider to be some baggage,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told potential jurors, adding that several have publicly denied some of the alleged conduct they will hear about in this case.

Merchan has taken steps to shield jurors in the case from harassment, saying they will remain anonymous except to Trump, his lawyers and prosecutors. On Thursday, he said he would prohibit news outlets from reporting on aspects of potential jurors’ employment.

Trump’s willingness to criticize those involved in the case, combined with the widespread public interest in it, could put jurors’ safety at risk, said Michigan State University law professor Barbara O’Brien.

“These are just people showing up doing their civic duty,” she said. “They’re not voluntarily injecting themselves into a public conversation.”

Prosecutors say Trump has violated Merchan’s gag order seven times since they flagged three potential violations on Monday, and have asked the judge to impose fines or other penalties.

On Thursday, prosecutor Christopher Conroy pointed to posts saying undercover liberal activists had been lying to the judge to try to get on the jury.

One of Trump’s lawyers, Emil Bove, said those posts “do not establish any willful violations” of the gag order.

(Reporting by Jack Queen and Luc Cohen in New York; additional reporting by Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)