The selection process seems to be going faster than expected. The magistrate already elected 7 of the 12 members on Tuesday, before the one-day break. The appointed jury will issue its verdict in the middle of the campaign republican candidate to the elections that will be held on November 5, in an unusual situation.
Both the prosecution and the defense They can challenge 10 jury candidates each, which unleashed the ire of Trump on his Truth Social platform, as he considered that this amount “is not enough” in a city that votes predominantly Democratic. “The witch hunt continues,” the former president bellowed.
In this context, Merchan had to call Trump to order on Tuesday, due to his comments to a candidate, and warned him that “will not tolerate any intimidation” of jurors. The judge has already scheduled a hearing for next week to analyze whether Trump should be found in contempt for violating an order which prohibits him from attacking people related to the case.
What is Donald Trump accused of?
Manhattan prosecutors accuse 34-year-old tycoon falsifications of accounting documents of the family business Trump Organization to buy the silence of a former porn film actress for an extramarital relationship. The incident occurred during US elections in 2016who won against Democrat Hillary Clinton, in order to prevent the scandal from affecting his campaign and public image.
Of being pleaded guiltyTrump, 77, can be sentenced to four years in prison, although for this the jury’s verdict must be unanimous. The trial is expected to last eight weeks, which is a source of irritation for Trump who criticizes having to be in court instead of work on your political campaign.
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“He should be right now in Pennsylvania, in Florida, in many other states, in North Carolina, in Georgia, campaigning,” he said upon arriving at court on Tuesday, blaming the Democratic President Joe Bidenhis almost certain opponent in the presidential elections, to orchestrate a judicial crusade against him.
How the jury is appointed for the Trump trial
The candidates, who respond to a number since their names remain anonymous to avoid harassment, have to respond to a comprehensive 42-question questionnaire which focuses in particular on whether they feel capable of judging fairly and impartially a highly mediatized and politicized case. Also, they are consulted by the newspapers they read and the social networks they use.
Those chosen so far are mostly professionals from different backgrounds who live in New York. Instead of questioning one by one, in the first group, the judge asked those who thought they could not be impartial to raise their hands. More than half were left out.
For this Thursday, Merchan has called a new batch of 96 candidates. The judge hopes to get into the matter on Monday with the presentation of the opening arguments of the prosecution and the defense before the parade of witnesses begins, among whom is his former personal lawyer and sworn enemy of the magnate, Michael Cohen, who was the one who he paid former actress Stormy Daniels out of his pocket, passing it off as legal expenses.
Source: Ambito
