NEW YORK: The jury of seven men and five women that will decide Donald Trump’s fate is a cross section of New Yorkers painstakingly selected by prosecutors and lawyers for the former US president.
Their identities are being kept secret for their own protection, but some details about the 12 Manhattan residents were revealed during the three days of jury selection that preceded the first ever criminal trial of a former president.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records to reimburse his former lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, when her account of an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the Republican could have doomed his 2016 presidential campaign.
The 77-year-old faces a total of 34 counts, and the jury will have to deliver a unanimous guilty or not guilty verdict on each count. A single holdout means a hung jury and a mistrial, although prosecutors could seek a new trial.
The jury foreman works in sales and previously worked as a waiter. He is married, has no children and enjoys outdoor activities. He said he gets his news from The New York Times and Daily Mail, and watches some Fox News and MSNBC.
Two jurors — both men — are lawyers. One is a corporate attorney, while the other is a civil litigator who said he is unfamiliar with criminal law. One of the jurors is an investment banker who said he follows Cohen on social media as well as former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. Asked his feelings about Trump, he said he’s “ambivalent.” “It goes both ways,” he said.
Another juror is a security engineer, originally from California who is married to a teacher. They have three children and he enjoys wood and metalworking. Asked during jury selection if he’d have any concerns about delivering a guilty verdict, he said: “No.”
One of the female jurors is a teacher, while another is a speech therapist. The teacher said she is not a political person, but she likes that Trump “speaks his mind.” The speech therapist said she was “not very well versed in the legal world,” but she would have no problem following the judge’s instructions.
Another woman on the jury is a recent college graduate who works as a software engineer. She told the judge her sister was getting married in September, and asked if that would conflict with her jury service.
“If we were still here in September that would be a big problem,” Judge Juan Merchan replied, sparking laughter in the courtroom. One of the eldest jurors is a retired wealth manager who is married with two children.
His hobbies are a flight simulator, skiing, yoga and meditation. A juror who works in e-commerce said he “doesn’t really follow” the news but listens to podcasts on behavioral psychology. “It’s my little hobby,” he said.
Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2024