MANHATTAN (CN) — A jury is set for Donald Trump’s historic Manhattan criminal trial, in which the former president is being accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments made to extramarital partners during the 2016 presidential election.
He’s the first president in U.S. history to stand trial for criminal charges, and the trial comes at a pivotal moment in the 2024 presidential race with the election mere months away. For the next roughly six weeks, Trump won’t be on the campaign trail — he’ll be flanked by his legal team in a New York City courthouse, where twelve jurors will decide whether or not he’ll become a convicted felon.
Those twelve jurors, finalized after just more than two days of jury selection, will be a group of highly educated Manhattanites. Seven are men, five are women. Most follow a myriad of news outlets and have at least a bachelor’s degree. Two are attorneys.
None indicated that they've supported Donald Trump in the past.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult for him to get a full acquittal,” Renato Stabile, an attorney and jury consultant, told Courthouse News after the jury was selected. “I think putting two lawyers on the jury was a bold move, especially by the defense."
"I like his chances, from what I’ve seen so far, of ending up with a hung jury," Stabile added — "but I think that’s the best he’s going to do here.”
The jury selection process was quicker than many expected, but it still tested the patience of both the judge and the former president, the latter of whom appeared to doze off at least once during the proceedings.
According to Stabile, the outcome of the case could largely hinge on the particulars of the jury.
"In this case, [it] is the most important part of the entire trial," he said.
“Unlike the vast majority of criminal cases, everybody — and I mean everybody — knows the defendant," Stabile added.
Because of this, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan was more hesitant to boot potential jurors who had heard negative things about Trump in the past or who disagree with him politically. One juror who made the cut even admitted that Trump’s personna wasn’t her cup of tea.
Most were hesitant to reveal any specific political leanings, however.
“In cases where there are political elements … we do see a very strong correlation between political affiliation and verdict outcome,” Stabile said. “We just do. It’s not hypothetical. It’s not speculative. It’s something we actually see. And so that’s why everybody is concluding that this is going to largely break down across party lines, and that disfavors Donald Trump.”
Each prospective juror this week had to answer aloud a 42-part questionnaire before the voir dire process began.
On the sheet, they were asked what news they consume, whether they’ve ever attended a Trump rally, and more. Their political affiliations were not requested.
Merchan in March ordered the jurors’ names to be kept secret. Still, the detailed questionnaire, coupled with a scrupulous voir dire process, paints a picture of the 12-person jury on Trump’s historic criminal case.
Juror 1
A man who works in sales, originally from Ireland. He said of Trump’s cases: “I’ve heard some of them.” He has a wide range of media consumption, including the New York Times, the Daily Mail, “some” Fox News and MSNBC.
Juror 2
An investment banker who follows a lot of political accounts on Twitter, including Michael Cohen and an account that reposts Donald Trump’s Truth Social posts. He reads the New York Times and consumes coverage on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. He hasn’t read Trump’s books, but says he’s seen numerous quotes from Trump's book "The Art of the Deal."
Juror 3
A corporate lawyer originally from Oregon. He told the court that he is “actually not super familiar with the other charges” Trump faces. “I don’t really follow the news that closely; a little embarrassing to say,” the juror said. He gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Google.
Juror 4
A California native working as a security engineer. He was on a criminal jury before he moved to New York but told the court that he couldn’t remember the verdict. He said that he reads a smattering of news publications but enjoys listening to comedy podcasts.
Juror 5
A woman who works as a language-arts teacher. She said that “President Trump speaks his mind." Despite being a self-identified person of color with friends who have strong opinions of Trump, she said she doesn’t have a strong opinion herself. She said that she “doesn’t really care for the news” but gets it from Google and TikTok.
Juror 6
A software engineer, who told the court that she can look at Trump like any other person on trial and will be fair and impartial. Her media consumption consists of the New York Times and TikTok, she said.
Juror 7
A middle-aged man and a civil litigator, originally from North Carolina. “I don’t know anything about election finance,” he said. He said he was ambivalent about Trump, liking some things about him but disliking others. “I’m not sure I know anything about his character,” he added. “I’m a litigator, so I take the law seriously and I take the judge’s instructions very seriously.” He told the court that he’s a frequent WNYC listener.
Juror 8
A retired wealth manager originally from Lebanon, who said that he has lots of friends in the financial field. He said he doesn’t have strong opinions on Trump or his current presidential candidacy and that he gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, BBC and CNBC.
Juror 9
A woman originally from New Jersey, who works as a speech therapist. “I don’t watch any news or follow it too closely,” she said. Still, she said, some morning newsletters have found their way into her email inbox. When asked about Trump, she said she does have opinions but can be impartial for the purposes of the trial.
Juror 10
An Ohio native working in e-commerce, who said that he doesn’t really follow the news. “If anything, it’s the New York Times,” he said. He told the court that he enjoys the outdoors and listening to psychology podcasts.
Juror 11
A woman originally from California, who admitted that Trump wasn’t her “cup of tea." She said that he comes across as “selfish” and “self-serving” based on his public persona but insisted that she isn’t biased against him as a person. She said she watches late-night television but otherwise doesn’t follow the news.
Juror 12
A physical therapist from Minnesota, who has her doctorate degree in physical therapy. She listens to sports and religious podcasts and gets her news from the New York Times, USA Today and CNN.
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