Finding jurors for former president Donald Trump's criminal case in New York has proven difficult, as on the first day, dozens of prospective jurors were sent home after saying they could not be impartial.
The case itself is the first criminal trial for any former president. He is accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to "hush money" given to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up a sex scandal.
Twelve jurors and six alternates have to be picked. They will remain anonymous to the public. Judge Juan Merchan has requested that the appearances and employers of jurors not be reported after one juror reported friends and family members identifying her (more on that later), so here's what we can broadly say about the jury so far.
Juror #1: An Irish-born West Harlem salesman.
The foreman likes "anything outdoorsy" and has "heard of some" of Trump's other criminal cases.
Juror #3: A young Chelsea corporate law attorney.
He likes to hike and run and isn't super familiar with the allegations against Trump.
Juror #5: A Harlem-based teacher.
She's into relationship and pop culture podcasts. "President Trump speaks his mind," she said. "And I'd rather that than someone who's in office who you don't know what they're thinking."
Juror #6: A young Chelsea software engineer.
She likes plays, restaurants, and dancing.
Juror #7: An Upper East Side civil litigator.
He's also outdoorsy. He says he doesn't "have opinions about [Trump] personally."
The most commonly cited news sources that the jurors use are the New York Times and Google.
People who aren't jurors:
Former Juror #2.
One seated juror, a cancer nurse, was dismissed on April 18 after she voiced concerns. “Yesterday alone I had friends, colleagues, and family push things to my phone regarding questioning my identity as a juror,” she told the judge. “I don’t believe at this point that I can be fair and unbiased and let the outside influences not affect my decision-making in the courtroom.”
Former Juror #4.
Another seated juror, an IT professional, was dismissed on the same day after the prosecution raised concerns that he may have lied in his answers about being accused or convicted of a crime. They found a man of the same name who had been arrested for tearing down posters "pertaining to the political right" in the '90s, as well as a family member who may have been connected with an agreement with the Manhattan district attorney’s office (aka Trump's prosecution). It's unknown whether or not he was connected to these things, as he was questioned off-microphone, but he was dismissed.