Former President Trump is back in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday for the continuation of jury selection in his criminal hush money trial.
The process is expected to last a minimum of several days as hundreds of New Yorkers will be whittled down to 12 jurors with six alternates.
More than half of the nearly 100 prospective jurors in the first round of jury selection Monday were almost immediately excused after they said they could not be fair or impartial in a trial whose parameters date back to Trump’s 2016 election.
By Tuesday afternoon, that initial batch of 96 potential jurors that began their process the day before had been whittled down to 24.
No jurors picked on Trump’s first day of hush money trial: Day 1 Recap
5 takeaways from first day of Trump’s criminal trial
Follow below for live updates from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld in New York.
Trump told reporters outside a bodega in Harlem he doesn’t believe he violated his gag order in the hush money case.
“No, I didn’t. There shouldn’t be a gag order. Let me just tell you, the gag order is totally unconstitutional,” Trump said.
— Brett Samuels
Trump, taking questions outside a bodega in Harlem, was asked what he thinks of the jurors in his case.
“I don’t know. It’s a little bit early to see. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said, pivoting to calling Judge Juan Merchan “so conflicted.”
— Brett Samuels
Trump again spoke briefly to reporters assembled outside the courtroom as he left for the day, taking the chance to bash Judge Juan Merchan as “totally conflicted.”
“He’s a conflicted judge, as you know,” Trump said, accusing the judge of “rushing this trial and doing as much as he can for the Democrats.”
“This trial is being watched by the whole world,” Trump added.
— Brett Samuels
Trump’s second day of trial adjourned with the selection of a seventh individual to sit on his jury.
The trial will reconvene Thursday.
— Ella Lee
Neither side challenged any of the new batch of prospective jurors for cause. Prosecutors used peremptory strikes to dismiss two of them.
That means one additional juror was selected, bringing the total to seven:
Seventh juror: Lives on the Upper East Side but is originally from North Carolina. He is a civil litigator married with two children. He gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Washington Post, WNYC and listens to podcasts “SmartLess” and “Car Talk.”
— Zach Schonfeld
Blanche’s questioning concluded after about 15 minutes, and the lawyers are now discussing which jurors to strike.
— Zach Schonfeld
Todd Blanche is up next after Susan Hoffinger asked jurors various questions, including if they felt prosecutors needed to clear a higher legal burden than normal because Trump is a former president.
The jurors who responded indicated “no.”
— Zach Schonfeld
Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger is questioning the jurors who passed the initial screening, asking them about various odds and ends that came up when they answered their questionnaires.
— Zach Schonfeld
A prospective juror said he was called for jury duty years ago and thinks Trump was one of the parties in the case.
The man couldn’t recall many details, and it remains unclear if he was actually a sworn juror.
“I’m a little nervous here,” the man said.
— Zach Schonfeld
Trump just looked at something on a cell phone, before handing it to his attorney, Susan Necheles.
— Zach Schonfeld
Both sides receive 10 “peremptory strikes,” which allow them to strike jurors without providing a reason just before they are officially selected.
So far, the district attorney’s office has used four strikes, and Trump’s lawyers have used six.
— Zach Schonfeld
A court official swore in the next panel of 96 prospective jurors — who had been waiting all day in the courthouse — and sent them home. They will return Thursday morning.
Some looked around curiously as they entered the courtroom, and some craned their heads to try to get a look at Trump, according to the pool.
Nearly all of the initial panel of 96 sworn-in Monday were either excused or selected for the jury. Six prospective jurors in that panel remain, and they will now be screened before the court breaks for the day.
— Zach Schonfeld
Judge Juan Merchan predicted that opening statements in Trump’s New York criminal case could begin as early as Monday.
The judge made the projection after swearing in the first six individuals selected to serve as jurors in the historic trial.
— Ella Lee
An additional three jurors have been selected to serve in Trump’s hush money trial, bring the total number of empaneled jurors to six as of Tuesday afternoon.
Fourth juror: A middle-aged man born in Puerto Rico who has lived on the Lower East Side for more than 40 years. He told the court he has “no spare time” for hobbies and is self-employed. His wife is a writer and his child works in sales and research.
Fifth juror: A younger Black woman who is a Harlem native and has taught English Language and Arts for eight years. She has never been married and has no children, and she said she considers herself a creative at heart.
Sixth juror: A Disney employee who was previously a student. She has three roommates and is unmarried without children.
The court is seeking to empanel 12 jurors and six alternates.
— Ella Lee
After a series of for-cause and peremptory challenges, the first three jurors have been selected for Trump’s hush money trial.
First juror: A man who is originally from Ireland and now lives in West Harlem. He works in sales and gets his news from The New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC.
Second juror: A woman who is a native New Yorker and has been an oncology nurse for 15 years. She spends her free time with family and friends and taking her dog to the park.
Third juror: A young to middle-aged Asian man who lives in Chelsea and grew up in Oregon. He is a corporate attorney.
— Zach Schonfeld