The 12 jurors who will decide the fate of the former president Donald Trump have been singled out in the highly anticipated criminal trial involving alleged undercover money payments.
Here are the latest details and what comes next.
What happened: A long trial that has seen hundreds of potential jurors questioned about their need to be impartial in Trump’s trial is one step away from the start of the trial.
On Thursday, jurors seated in the silence case are now 12, the total needed for the verdict, as shared by NBC News.
The jury is made up of seven men and five women. Here are the jurors and their professions, as reported by NBC News.
- Male, works in sales
- Male, investment banking
- Male, lawyer
- Male, safety engineer
- Female, teacher
- Woman, computer engineer
- Male, lawyer, loves the outdoors
- Male, retired, previously worked in the wealth management industry
- Woman, speech therapist
- Male, employed in commerce
- Donna, product development manager
- Woman, physiotherapist
“We have our jury,” Judge Juan Mercan said after 12th The jury was agreed between the prosecution and defense.
Merchan gave instructions to jurors Thursday before they left, reminding them they cannot discuss the case. The judge reminded jurors that they are expected to review the case in a “fair and impartial” manner.
Getting to 12 jurors Thursday might come as a surprise after the way the day in court began. After contacting seven jurors Tuesday before postponing the trial until Thursday, two jurors were removed early Thursday morning.
One juror was dismissed after a previous arrest was called into question.
The second jury, an oncology nurse, was dismissed earlier in the day after saying that after sleeping on the case she feared she could no longer be impartial. She was also worried about her identity becoming public, with her family already asking if she was part of the jury.
The jury selection process also saw a large number of potential jurors dismissed after saying they could not be impartial in the case. When Merchan asked a group of 96 potential jurors to raise their hands if they couldn’t be impartial in the case, 48 were immediately dismissed.
Related Link: Donald Trump Claims ‘Political Indictment’ Ahead of Jury Selection in New York Trial: ‘The Judge Won’t Let Me Escape This Scam’
What’s next: Six additional jurors are still needed, who will serve as alternates.
The plan, for now, is for the trial to begin Monday. That could happen if replacements are selected on Friday. “I hope we finish tomorrow,” Merchan said.
Trump’s criminal trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Speaking to reporters after the case concluded Thursday, Trump said he was expected to campaign in key states for the 2024 election.
“I’ve been here all day,” Trump said.
Trump called the case an “unfair trial.”
“Everything is a mess.”
DJT Price Action: Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group Cor DJT have been volatile during Trump’s legal proceedings.
Stocks had a surge on Thursday, but it was probably unrelated to the case. Shares were trading higher after a company document told shareholders how to prevent shares they own from being loaned out for short selling.
DJT shares closed Thursday up 25.72% at $33.19 compared to a 52-week trading range of $22.55 to $79.38.
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Photo: Created with AI on MidJourney and Zolnierek on Shutterstock