Day three of ex-President Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial concluded with the seating of the full jury of 12 New Yorkers.
In addition to the panel of a dozen who will decide if to convict Trump in the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president, one alternate juror was sworn in on Thursday afternoon. Five more alternates need to be selected and the process is set to resume on Friday.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush payment during his 2016 presidential campaign to silence porn star Stormy Daniels on an alleged affair. He has denied having sex with her.
If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison.
Opening statements could begin as soon as Monday, said Justice Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the case.
The jurors were picked from a pool of dozens of residents of Manhattan. After indicating that they could consider the case impartially, the jurors had to answer 42 questions about topics including their neighborhood, any radio shows they listen to, and marital status.
By the end of day two of the trial on Tuesday, seven jurors were selected. Two of them were abruptly excused on Thursday, then seven new jurors were chosen.
The jurors’ identities are kept secret and only known to attorneys in the case. Here is what is known about the individuals who have been seated, based on reports from inside Manhattan Criminal Court:
Juror 1
A man from Ireland who works in sales and enjoys the outdoors. He stays informed on the news from The New York Times, the Daily Mail, MSNBC and Fox News. Merchan assigned him to be foreperson. He was selected on Tuesday.
Juror 2
A corporate lawyer from Oregon whose hobbies include hiking. He reads news from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Google. He stated that he does not ‘follow the news that closely’ and is ‘not super familiar with the other charges’, CBS News reported. He was selected on Tuesday
Juror 3
A middle school English teacher who does not have a lot of interest in the news or politics. She learns about current events through The New York Times and TikTok. She claimed she does not have strong opinions about Trump and said during questioning from a lawyer representing the ex-president: ‘President Trump speaks his mind. I would rather that in a person than someone who’s in office and you don’t know what they’re doing behind the scenes.’ She was selected on Tuesday.
Juror 4
A software engineer who said she can evaluate Trump just like any other person on trial. She gets her news from The New York Times and TikTok. She was selected on Tuesday.
Juror 5
A civil litigator who likes to spend time with his children and outdoors. He reads The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and the New York Post, and listens to podcasts including Smartless and Car Talk. He was selected on Tuesday.
Juror 6
A worker in technology who gets the news from The New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok. She said she thinks her beliefs are different from Trump’s but that ‘this is a free country’. The Chelsea resident was picked on Thursday.
Juror 7
A man employed in the legal field who knows about Trump’s other court cases. He said he does not have an opinion about the ex-president but does have ‘political views as to the Trump presidency’ and agrees and disagrees depending on the policy. He is an Upper East Side resident and was picked on Thursday.
Juror 8
A man working in finance who likes fly fishing, skiing and yoga. He gets his news from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and BBC. He said he does not hold any beliefs that would stop him from being impartial. The Upper East Side resident was seated on Thursday.
Juror 9
A worker in education who said Trump ‘was our president’ and ‘everyone knows who he is’, as well as that ‘everyone was kind of talking about politics’ when he was in the White House. She is from the Upper East Side and was chosen on Thursday.
Juror 10
A businessman whose ‘little hobby’ is listening to behavioral psychology podcasts. He said he does not keep up with the news and ‘if anything it’s The New York Times’. He added that he does not have a strong view regarding Trump. The Murray Hill resident was picked on Thursday.
Juror 11
A woman who was seated near the end of the trial session on Saturday. She claimed she does not have strong opinions about Trump. Then she added, according to The New York Times, drawing laughter from the courtroom: ‘I don’t like his persona. How he presents himself in public. I don’t like some of my coworkers, but I don’t try to sabotage their work.’
Juror 12
A healthcare worker who enjoys live music, hiking and religious podcasts. She lives in the Upper West Side and was selected on Thursday.
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