Trump jury search turns to alternates, as opening statements near

In the latest development of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, the judge overseeing the case has expressed his desire to proceed with opening statements on Monday. However, in order to do so, he must first seat up to five additional alternate jurors by Friday.

The jury selection process has been a tumultuous one, with multiple jurors being immediately excused for impartiality issues. Two seated jurors were also excused after being sworn in, one due to concerns about impartiality after her identity as a juror became known to people in her life, and the other due to a decades-old arrest that had not been disclosed during jury selection.

So far, twelve jurors and one alternate have been seated from two groups of 96 Manhattanites summoned for jury service. Approximately two dozen potential jurors from the second group remain under consideration, with the possibility of bringing in a third group of 96 jurors if the remaining five alternates cannot be found.

Judge Juan Merchan indicated that if the remaining alternates are selected early enough on Friday, he will also hold a pretrial hearing to determine the scope of topics that prosecutors will be allowed to broach if Trump decides to testify in his own defense.

Prosecutors have filed a motion to question Trump about a series of high-profile legal defeats in an attempt to attack his credibility. These defeats include a recent civil fraud judgment in another New York court, two federal jury verdicts finding him liable for defamation and sexual abuse, gag order violations, and sanctions for a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.

In response, Trump’s attorneys have argued that these topics should be off-limits in the case, which centers around reimbursements to his former attorney Michael Cohen for a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors allege that Trump covered up the reimbursements to distance himself from the payment just days before the 2016 presidential election, which was intended to buy Daniels’ silence about an alleged affair. Trump has denied both the affair and all allegations in the case, entering a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records.

As the trial progresses, all eyes are on the remaining alternate jurors to be seated and the potential for Trump to take the stand in his defense. Stay tuned for more updates on this high-profile trial.

Written by staticwire