Twelve jurors were selected for Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, where the former president is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a sex scandal before the 2016 election. Picking the panel was an arduous process: Judge Juan Merchan, prosecutors and defense attorneys vetted almost 200 prospective jurors over three days to weed out people who might be biased one way or the other. Most who were excused said they couldn’t be fair.
Before the trial, the judge ruled that the jurors’ names wouldn’t be publicly released. Then, after one seated juror expressed concern that she had been identified by the news media, he directed reporters not to identify the current and former employers of those on the panel. Although the jury has now been selected, it could still change due to illness or other circumstances.
[colabot5]