A full jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, setting the stage for opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. Hours later, an appeals court judge rejected a last-minute bid by the Republican to halt the trial over his claims that jury selection was unfairly rushed. The jury includes a software engineer, investment banker, English teacher and multiple lawyers. It took final shape after lawyers spent days quizzing dozens of potential jurors on whether they can impartially judge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
A full jury of 12 people and six alternates has been seated in Donald Trump’s hush money case, drawing the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president a step closer to opening statements. Lawyers spent days quizzing dozens of New Yorkers to choose the panel that has vowed to put their personal views aside and impartially judge whether the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is guilty or not. The jury includes a sales professional, a software engineer, an English teacher and multiple lawyers. Trump is accused of falsifying business records to suppress stories about his sex life emerging in the final days of the 2016 election. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Opening statements in Donald Trump's hush money case are set to begin next week after a jury of 12 people and six alternates were seated in his hush money case. The seating of a full jury sets the stage for weeks of testimony in a case charging Trump with falsifying business records to suppress stories that might damage his 2016 campaign. It's the first of Trump's four indictments to go to the trial and the first criminal trial against a former U.S. president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.