Seven jurors have been selected and sworn in so far to serve on the jury for former President Trump’s historic and unprecedented first criminal trial.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has blasted the trial as pure politics, a “political persecution” and maintains his innocence. The former president is expected to testify during his trial.
“I tell the truth,” Trump said last week, when asked about his possible testimony.
Trump is the first president in United States history to stand criminal trial.
A court sketch depicts the second day of former President Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Jury selection for the alleged hush money case remains ongoing. (Christine Cornell)
By the end of jury selection on Tuesday, seven jurors had been selected and sworn in. The jury pool so far includes four men and three women, all living in New York City. Their professions included work in law, finance, nursing, technology and more.
Eleven more jurors are expected to be selected and sworn in over the coming days. Jury selection is set to resume Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
Former President Trump awaits the start of proceedings on the second day of jury selection at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New York. Trump returned to the courtroom Tuesday as a judge works to find a panel of jurors who will decide whether the former president is guilty of criminal charges alleging he falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)
Here is a look at each of the seven jurors so far.
Juror #1 and the foreperson
Juror #1 is a man who lives in West Harlem. He is originally from Ireland. He has no children and enjoys doing anything outdoorsy. He gets his news from the New York Times, Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC.
When asked by Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche if he was aware Trump is charged in other cases and jurisdictions, and how that affects him, the man said, “I don’t have an opinion.”
Juror #2
Juror #2 is a woman who lives on the Upper East Side with her fiancé. She does not have children. She is a native New Yorker and works as an oncology nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The woman has a masters’ degree in nursing. Her fiancé works in finance in New York City. The woman said she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and taking her dog to the park.
When asked, she said she gets her news from The New York Times, Google and Facebook.
When asked by Trump’s attorney what her opinion of Trump is, the woman said, “I don’t really have one, especially in a courtroom. He can be treated as anyone else.”
“No one is above the law,” she said.
When pressed again on what opinion she walked into the courtroom with, the woman replied, “I didn’t even know I was walking into this… I am here for my civic duty.”
Juror #3
Juror #3 is a young to middle-aged Asian man who lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The man said he grew up in Oregon and has been an attorney for five years practicing corporate law. The man said he enjoys hiking and running, and reads his news from The New York Times and Google.
Juror #4
Juror #4 is an older, middle-aged man who lives on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The man was born in Puerto Rico, is self-employed and has worked as an IT consultant for approximately 10 years.
The man said he has been married for “a long time,” and has one child and two grandchildren. He said his wife is a writer, and his child works in sales and research.
“I have no spare time,” he said, when asked about his hobbies. “I guess my hobby is my family.”
The man said he works with community non-profits and said he has previously served on a jury in a civil case, but he did not remember the verdict.
Former President Trump at Manhattan criminal court in New York City on Monday, April 15, 2024. Jury selection begins Monday in Trump’s criminal trial, where he faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He said he gets his news from the New York Daily News, the New York Times and Google. He said he also listens to podcasts.
As for Trump, the juror said he finds him to be “fascinating and mysterious.”
“He walks into a room, and he sets people off one way or another,” the juror said. “I find that really interesting. Really, this guy can do all of this — wow. That’s what I think.”
Juror #5
Juror #5 is a young Black woman. She said she is a Harlem native and has been a teacher of English Language Arts for eight years.
The woman was previously a caseworker at a juvenile detention center and now works at Kip New York City Charter Schools. She said she has a masters’ degree in education.
“I’m creative at heart,” she said, adding that she enjoys photography.
The woman said that she is not married and does not have children. Her mother was an administrative aide in the New York Police Department, and her godfather was an NYPD homicide detective.
The woman said she gets her news from Google and TikTok.
She was asked if Trump chose not to testify, whether she would hold that against him.
“I won’t hold that against him,” she said.
Former President Trump appears with his legal team Todd Blanche, left, and Emil Bove ahead of the start of jury selection at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Jabin Botsford-Pool/Getty Images)
She explained that she has friends who have strong opinions on the former president but said she is not a political person and tries to avoid political conversations.
She did say, however, that she appreciates Trump’s candor.
“President Trump speaks his mind, and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking,” she said.
When jurors were asked if they were aware Trump was charged in other cases than Bragg’s, most jurors were. However, juror #5 raised her hand to indicate that she was learning of additional charges for the first time.
Former President Trump at Manhattan criminal court in New York City on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Trump’s first criminal trial got off to a plodding start on Monday, with the proceedings stalling over disagreements about evidence and other last-minute arguments, leaving even the former president looking bored and resting his eyes at times. (Justin Lane/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Juror #6
Juror #6 is a young woman who lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. She described herself as a New Yorker.
The woman is a software engineer for the Walt Disney Company. She said she likes to dance.
Juror #7
Juror #7 is a White man who lives on the Upper East Side. He is originally from North Carolina and is an attorney and civil litigator.
The man said he is married with two children, and his wife works in risk management for a bank. He said he enjoys spending time outdoors and with his family.
The man said he gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and the Washington Post.
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New York. Former President Trump returns to a New York courtroom Tuesday as a judge works to find a panel of jurors who will decide whether the former president is guilty of criminal charges alleging he falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
When asked if his career as a lawyer would impact his ability to serve fair and impartially, or whether his opinions would get in his way, the man said that he does have “political views as to the Trump presidency” and said there were likely Trump administration policies he disagreed with.
“I don’t know the man and I don’t have any opinions about him personally,” he said.
As for his career as a lawyer, he said he does not have any opinions about Trump’s character.
“I certainly follow the news,” he said. “I’m aware there are other lawsuits out there. But I’m not sure that I know anyone’s character.”
Fox News’ Grace Taggart contributed to this report.