Seven people have been seated on the jury in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump in Manhattan. Court is not in session Wednesday, and jury selection will continue Thursday until a panel of 12 New Yorkers and likely six alternates has been selected.
But before anyone was seated Tuesday, jurors went through the questionnaire phase in which they were questioned by the district attorney’s office and Trump’s lawyers. As jurors spoke, Trump was frequently seen flipping through the jury questionnaire, often leaning back in his chair.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche challenged several prospective jurors, calling for some to be dismissed for cause due to social media posts.
Remember: Each side has 10 peremptory strikes to remove a juror from the pool — no questions asked. In the instances in which either side is successful in dismissing a potential juror for cause, it does not have to use a strike.
Both the prosecution and defense have each used six preemptive strikes. This means each side has four strikes left.
These were some of the challenges:
- Trump’s team found social media posts from a potential juror referencing Trump that say, “Get him out” and “Lock him up.” Judge Juan Merchan dismissed the potential juror because of that language.
- Merchan struck another potential juror who acknowledged he reposted a negative AI video about Trump in March. Trump’s attorneys also pointed out posts in which the potential juror shared a photo of display tables with a Biden-Harris poster and sold buttons to support a get-out-the-vote political organization.
- Trump’s team challenged another potential juror over posts on her Facebook page in 2018. She said Trump has said things “that I don’t care for.” Merchan denied the challenge, saying the potential juror was honest about her disagreements with Trump.
Who are the jurors? An oncology nurse, a corporate lawyer, an English teacher: What we know about the seven seated jurors.
Trump and the judge: Merchan gave the former president a stern warning for visibly and audibly reacting to one of the potential jurors in court. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in the courtroom,” the judge said after the potential juror left.
Looking ahead: The next batch of 96 potential jurors was sworn in Tuesday and dismissed until Thursday morning.
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