Day 2: Trump Angers Judge Plus Profiles of Seven Seated Jurors
"I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. I want to make that crystal clear"
I’m reporting to you on Wednesday morning, the day when Judge Juan Merchan using breaks from trial to manage other court matters. As noted in yesterday’s newsletter, “Day 1: You Snooze You Lose?”, the judge may decide to schedule trial for Wednesdays if the pace does not pick up.
(Courtroom drawing by Jane Rosenberg).
What follows are some top takeaways from Tuesday, April 16, Day 2 of the Trump hush money and election interference trial. For details on the legal theory and background, please see “Hush Money & Election Interference.”
Witness Intimidation Warning: Journalist Adam Klasfeld reported that Donald Trump “reacted audibly and visibly” after his lawyer questioned a potential juror about her Facebook posts. After she left the court room, Klasfeld noted that “Justice Merchan angrily warns him via his lawyer: "I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. I want to make that crystal clear." As Erik Uebelacker reported for Courthouse News:
Seven Jurors Seated: Jury selection is moving along somewhat faster than many experts expected in light of the high-profile nature of this case and notoriety of the defendant. Here is what we know about the seven jurors seated so far. Keep in mind that although the juror itself will comprise 12 individuals, six alternates will be selected as well, so it’s likely to take at least two more days (Thursday and Friday) to complete this process.
Juror #1 is the foreperson by court rules. He is a white male from Ireland. He is married, and now lives in West Harlem. His wife is in school and he has some college education. He was previously a waiter, but now works in sales and gets his news from sources including the New York Times, Daily Mail, as well as some from Fox, and MSNBC.
Juror #2 is is a native New Yorker who resides in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She works as an oncology nurse employed by Memorial Sloan Kettering and gets her news from the New York Times and Google. During voir dire, she said of Donald Trump “Especially in this courtroom he will be treated as anyone else can be treated, and no one is above the law.”
Juror #3 is an Asian male from Oregon and now lives in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. He is a corporate lawyer employed by Gunderson Dettmer who gets his news from the New York Times and Google. He likes to go hiking and running.
Juror #4 was born in Puerto Rico and has lived in New York for 40 years, presently on the Lower East Side. He is a self-employed IT consultant who gets his news from sources including the New York Daily News, the New York Times, and Google. He described Trump as “fascinating and mysterious.” He also said that when Trump enters a room “he sets people off one way or another.”
Juror #5 is a native New Yorker who lives in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood with her brother. She a black female who teaches English at a charter school and gets her news from Google, TikTok, Talk Radio and the Breakfast Club. She did not know that Trump was charged in other criminal cases. Her parents are retired employees of the New York police department.
Juror #6 is a recent college graduate who lives with three roommates in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. She works as a software engineer employed by Disney. She gets her news from the New York Times, TikTok, Google, and Facebook. She told the judge that her sister’s wedding was in September and hoped that would not create a scheduling conflict. Judge Merchan quipped “If we were still here in September that would be a big problem.”
Juror #7 is a white male who resides in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He is a civil litigation attorney who gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and the Washington Post. He also listens to podcasts including “Smartless” and “Car Talk.”
Isn't it possible, that with the personal information on each juror it would be possible to figure out who the person is? Maybe not in all cases, but in some cases. Many businesses have employee pictures and information on their websites and referring to someone's race can narrow down any search. I'd also be concerned that some MAGA types would also make false claims about jurors.
Great gleanings from the juror profiles, Jen!