The judge in former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial has expressed his desire to have opening statements delivered on Monday. To achieve this, he will need to seat up to five more alternate jurors on Friday. Twelve jurors and one alternate were already seated in the first three days of jury selection, with several people being excused due to impartiality concerns. Two seated jurors were also excused after being sworn in for various reasons, including concerns about impartiality and undisclosed arrests. The jurors and alternates chosen were selected from two groups of 96 Manhattanites summoned for jury duty, with about two dozen potential jurors still under consideration from the second group.
If the remaining alternates are selected early enough on Friday, the judge plans to hold a pretrial hearing to establish the topics prosecutors can address if Trump decides to testify in his defense. Prosecutors have indicated a desire to question Trump about various legal defeats to undermine his credibility, including civil fraud judgments, defamation and sexual abuse verdicts, and gag order violations. Trump’s attorneys argue that these topics should be off-limits in this case, which centers around reimbursements to his former attorney Michael Cohen for a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
The case revolves around allegations that Trump covered up reimbursements to Cohen in order to distance himself from the payment made to Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the affair with Daniels and entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records. The trial has garnered significant attention due to its connection to high-profile legal battles and the potential involvement of Trump himself in the proceedings. The jury selection process has been rigorous, with multiple potential jurors being excused for various reasons.
The trial is set to proceed with opening statements on Monday if the remaining alternate jurors are seated as planned on Friday. The judge and prosecutors have indicated their readiness to move forward with the trial, which has already seen significant challenges during the jury selection process. The case has the potential to shed light on Trump’s business practices and legal dealings, as well as his credibility in the face of previous legal defeats. The outcome of the trial could have far-reaching implications for Trump and his legacy as a former president.
