By the end of the second day of Donald Trump’s secret trial, seven potential jurors had survived a 42-question questionnaire, a 30-minute questioning by prosecutors, followed by another 30 minutes of investigation by the defense.
Some had their social media posts scrutinized or were stared at by the accused.
Their prize is a seat at ringside at one of the most important trials in American history.
No wonder some of the final six groups looked terrified as they headed to the jury box to take their seats and take the oath.
“This will be your permanent seat for the duration of the trial,” said Judge Juan Merchan, who fended off repeated defense delays only to be installed by the end of Tuesday’s proceedings.
Six jurors were sworn in Tuesday afternoon. The court must now find six more (plus six alternates who will also hear all the evidence in case they need to exchange later).
Donald Trump sits between his lawyers in Courtroom 1530 of Manhattan Criminal Court as jury selection continues for a second day Tuesday. But in the end, six jurors had taken the oath
A seventh was sworn in at the very end of the day.
Merchan must find five more jurors plus six alternates Thursday and Friday (the court does not sit on Wednesdays) if he is to meet his goal of opening statements Monday.
Here are the seven jurors (identified only by their jury number) seated so far:
B400 The Fox News and Daily Mail reader
A man originally from Ireland and now living in West Harlem will take the top spot on the jury. He said he worked in sales and was previously a waiter.
In his free time, he enjoys doing all things “outdoors”.
He lives with his wife and (like many people who appeared in court) has no children.
One of the defense’s challenges has been finding jurors in liberal Manhattan who don’t get all their news from the New York Times or NPR.
Juror B400 said he reads the Daily Mail and watches Fox News as well as the New York Times and MSNBC.
The defense and prosecution spent a day and a half trying to weed out anyone with strong feelings about the country’s most famous defendant.
B280 – The oncology nurse
The second-place juror said she had lived on the Upper East Side for three years.
She lives with her fiancé who works in finance and enjoys spending time with friends and taking her dog to the park.
She provoked a moment of laughter when defense lawyer Todd Blanche asked her what opinions she had adopted on Donald Trump.
“I didn’t even know I was in there,” she said, sending a wave of laughter through a packed courtroom where reporters and members of the public watched a video feed. “I thought I was going home.”
She insisted that she could be impartial in her judgment.
“I am here for my civic duty. I’m here to listen to the facts,” she said
Trump aide Jason Miller is seen arriving at the courthouse. He sat at the back of the field
B381 The Oregonian
A man of Asian appearance with black hair, aged around 20 or 30, according to journalists in the courtroom. He will occupy third place.
He is originally from Oregon and has lived in Chelsea for five years. He said he was a corporate attorney at Gunderson Dettmer and enjoyed walking and running.
Trump listened intently as he took the questionnaire, holding his own copy close to his face.
Later in the day, during the 30-minute voir dire session in which lawyers had their turn to ask questions, he was asked if it was possible to determine the intent of ‘a person from his actions.
“I don’t think I need to read someone’s mind to understand their intentions,” he said.
B89 The Trump Watcher
Juror number four is an older man with receding gray hair from Puerto Rico.
He lives on the Lower East Side and is an independent IT consultant.
“I don’t have any free time,” he said when asked about his past times. “I guess my hobby is my family.”
It brought an approving smile from the accused later in the day, when asked for his opinion of Trump.
“Fascinating,” he says, like a naturalist about a wild animal. “He walks into a room and scares people away.
“He makes things interesting.”
Blanche, the defense attorney, was almost at a loss for words as Trump leaned back in his chair, smiling his approval. “Um, okay,” the lawyer said. ‘THANKS.’
In this courtroom sketch, former U.S. President Donald Trump sits as his lawyer Todd Blanche, right, speaks during the second day of jury selection.
Trump gives thumbs up as he returns from break during second day of trial
A Trump supporter drives a van into Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday.
B374 The Harlem Professor
A young black woman from Harlem, who describes herself as a native New Yorker and who works as an English teacher.
She said she lives with her brother who is a basketball coach. And she explained, while going through the questionnaire Tuesday morning, that she got her news from Google and TikTok.
That might not have sounded promising to Trump and his team, except for one other detail she revealed.
His mother and godfather were both retired from the NYPD; he had been a homicide sergeant.
She also said she could be impartial.
“There was a division in the country and I can’t ignore it,” she said. “However, I never equated this to a single individual.”
B297 – The software engineer
A young software engineer who lives in Chelsea with three roommates and is employed by Walt Disney.
She has stated that her interests include plays, restaurants, dancing and television.
And she said she gets her news from The New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok.
She said her sister was getting married in September. Would this pose a problem?
“If we were still here in September it would be a big problem,” Judge Merchan said.
She will occupy sixth place in the jury box.
B269 – Late addition
With six jurors sworn in as a group mid-afternoon, a seventh was sworn in after a series of rapid-fire questioning late in the afternoon.
Juror number seven presents himself as white – tanned – and in his fifties. He has short-cropped hair, is bald and wears glasses and a blue button open at the collar.
He lives on the Upper East Side. And he said he worked as a civil litigator at Hunton Andrews Kurth.
Would that be a problem, asked Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger.
“Yes, I’m a civil litigator, which means I know next to nothing about criminal matters,” he said.
“I don’t know anything about electoral law or financial law either.”
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