NEW YORK — Seven New Yorkers have so far been picked to serve as jurors on former President Trump’s hush money trial, the first criminal case of any U.S. president in history.
The judge, along with prosecutors and Trump’s defense team whittled down an initial group of 96 potential jurors starting Monday afternoon. They answered a questionnaire asking them about everything from where they lived to what news they consumed.
More than half of that initial group was immediately dismissed after raising their hands to indicate they could not be fair or impartial, in a show of the trial’s political divisiveness.
The jurors who serve on the trial are to be anonymous to the press and to the public, but general descriptions of each one are public, thanks to a small team of reporters posted up in the courtroom who witnessed the juror selection process.
There will be a total of 12 jurors picked, with at least six alternates to serve on the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Here’s a look at who has been chosen to serve on the trial so far.
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.
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 child works in sales and research.
Fifth juror: A younger Black woman, is a Harlem native who 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.
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, New York Post, The Washington Post, WNYC and listens to podcasts “SmartLess” and “Car Talk.”
The court will reconvene on Thursday to consider the selection of the remaining jurors. The judge gave indication that process could wrap up by the end of this week.
He told the first set of jurors not to return until Monday, suggesting that day would be the start of opening statements.
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