NEW YORK (AP) – Twelve of Manhattan's 1.4 million adults will soon become the first Americans to be sentenced for a former president. be charged with a crime.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday First trial in former President Donald Trump's hush money lawsuit 4 criminal charges A potential Republican presidential candidate. This proceeding poses a historic challenge to courts, lawyers, and the public who serve as members of the jury pool.
“There is no question that selecting a jury in a case involving someone as well-known as former President Trump poses unique challenges,” said Joshua Steinglass, one of the trial prosecutors. he said at the hearing.
Those problems include finding someone who can give an unbiased opinion about one of the most polarizing figures in American life, without compromising the privacy of the ballot box, and creating bias among potential jurors. This includes detecting.
There is also a risk that people will try to force their way onto juries to achieve personal goals. Or they may be reluctant to use their social media megaphones to defeat court rulings against them and sue politicians with tens of millions of passionate supporters.
Still, even if jury selection is difficult, it's not impossible, said Margaret Bull Covela, a professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“Someone looks at the law, looks at the evidence presented, and makes a decision,” said Kobera, whose research includes juror psychology. “And the job now for judges and lawyers is to figure out who those people are.”
Mr Trump is pleaded not guilty The charges stem from falsifying company books as part of an effort to conceal payments made during the 2016 election campaign to cover up allegations of extramarital sex. He denies the meeting and claims the incident is a legal sham and a politically staged attempt to sabotage his ongoing campaign.
He will be tried in a criminal court system in which a jury decides on celebrities including mob boss John Gotti, disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and Trump's own companies.
Last year, author E. Gene Carroll Civil lawsuits for sexual assault and defamation Opposition to Trump was presented to a jury in a nearby federal court.new york state fraud lawsuit The lawsuit against the former president and his company went to trial without a jury in neighboring state court last fall.
However, the hush money case could carry up to four years in prison if convicted, making the stakes even higher.
Mr. Trump has lived in Manhattan for decades, first making a name for himself as an intimidating real estate developer with a flair for public relations. As Steinglass said, “There's no chance you'll find a single juror who doesn't have a view of Mr. Trump.”
But the question is not whether potential jurors like or dislike Trump or the other figures in the case. Judge Juan M. Marchan he wrote in Monday's filing. Rather, he said, what matters is whether a person is able to “put aside their personal feelings and biases and make a decision based on evidence and the law.”
The jury selection process begins with Marchan filling a New Deal-era courtroom with potential jurors and giving them a brief description of the case and other basics. Judges would then pardon those who showed by a show of hands that they were unable to serve or to act fairly and impartially, he wrote.
Those who remain will be called to the jury box in groups, their names will not be made public, and they will be called in numerical order to answer 42 questions. Some of them contain multiple questions.
Some of the questions are standard questions about a prospective juror's background. But both sides have vigorously debated what, if anything, to ask potential jurors about their political activities and opinions.
Marchand emphasized that his lawyers would not ask questions about jurors' voting choices, political contributions or political party registration.
But the approved questionnaire asks, for example, whether someone has “political, moral, intellectual or religious beliefs or opinions” that might “slant your approach to this case.” I'm asking. Another question asks if potential jurors support any of six far-right or far-left groups, have attended Trump or anti-Trump rallies, or work for Trump or an organization that criticizes Trump. Find out if they have ever volunteered.
Potential jurors also said they had “strong opinions or firmly held beliefs” about Trump or the nominee that clouded their ability to be impartial, feelings about how Trump was being treated in the case, or whether the former president They will also be asked about their “strong opinions” about -The president could be indicted in state court.
The process of selecting 12 jurors and six alternates can become a game of chess, as opposing sides try to compete over who they want and who their opponents want. Also, what kind of potential jurors might fail to do their job or be impartial, and how could they take advantage of one of their limited opportunities to do so without giving a reason? You need to consider whether it's worth excluding someone.
Thaddeus Hofmeister, a law professor at the University of Dayton, said, “Oftentimes we make assumptions and stereotypes about people that are not true, so we listen to them in court and, if possible, online. It's important to lean towards this.” Someone who studies juries.
In high-profile cases, courts and lawyers are on the lookout for “stealth jurors,” people who try to influence a verdict, benefit from experience, or have other private motives. .
Conversely, some people may want to avoid the attention that comes with lawsuits against celebrities. To address this, Marchand decided to hide the names of the jurors from everyone except prosecutors, Trump, and their respective defense teams.
The six jurors and three attorneys in each of the federal civil lawsuits filed by Carroll against Trump were driven to and from the courtroom through an underground parking garage, their names the People, Carroll, and Trump. , lawyers, and even the judge were not made public.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said that if Carroll were involved in the hush-money case, she would do everything in her power to ensure that jurors remain anonymous and do not fear being identified online or in the media. He said he would ask the court to do so.
“Given the world we live in, the number one concern should be the potential for juror intimidation,” Kaplan said.
Jurors for both trials were selected within hours of Carroll's claims, which Trump denies.Carol's lawyer then Attempted to boot the jury during the trial He said he heard about conservative podcasters who criticized Carroll's case. The judge questioned the jury in private, but the jury insisted it was fair and impartial.
He remained on the committee and it was passed unanimously. It was decided that Mr. Trump was responsible. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation. Eight months later, the second jury Carroll earned an additional $83.5 million. For defamation.
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Associated Press journalists Joseph B. Frederick and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.