We've wrapped up our live updates. Learn more about Friday's proceedings by scrolling through the posts below, and return on Monday for more live coverage of Trump's hush money criminal trial.
Day 4 of Trump New York hush money trial
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell in the courthouse
Updated 10:14 a.m. ET, April 20, 2024
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Man who lit himself on fire outside of the courthouse has died, law enforcement official says
From CNN's John Miller
The man who lit himself on fire outside of the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump’s trial was taking place died Friday night, a senior law enforcement official told CNN.
NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey said earlier that the man walked into the center of Collect Pond Park, which is directly across from the courthouse.
He opened his backpack and took out pamphlets that he scattered in the park before setting himself on fire.
The man was taken to Cornell Burn Center earlier in critical condition. Police had said they thought it was not likely that he would survive.
Key takeaways from the final day of jury selection in Trump's hush money trial
From CNN's Jeremy Herb and Lauren del Valle
The historic first criminal trial of a former US president begins with opening statements on Monday.
Judge Juan Merchan swiftly moved through consideration of roughly 200 potential jurors to find a jury pool of 18 by midday Friday, swearing in 12 jurors and six alternates who will decide Donald Trump’s fate in the New York hush money case.
Here are takeaways from the final day of jury selection:
- The jury is set: Four women and one man were added to the jury on Friday as five of the six alternates for the case. They will sit in the jury box and will hear the duration of the trial, but they will only be put on the jury should one or more of the 12 jurors be excused from the case. Prosecutors focused their questions in the case on preparing the jurors to accept testimony from less-than-favorable witnesses, like Michael Cohen. Trump’s attorneys, meanwhile, were almost singularly focused on a single question: What did jurors think about Donald Trump?
- Final round of juror questions highlights emotional decision for potential jurors: There were several emotional moments during Friday morning’s questioning of potential jurors, with two jurors telling the judge in the middle of voir dire that they no longer felt they could serve. One female prospective juror who works in sales for a trading company began crying when she was handed the microphone. At one point after that jury had left, another juror raised her hand and told the court she started feeling “high anxiety” as she sat and listened to a line of questioning about the credibility of witnesses.
- Trump is still trying to stop his trial: Despite seating a jury, Trump’s legal team again tried to stop the trial in its tracks with another strategic appeal. In a new motion filed Friday morning, Trump’s lawyers once again asked an appeals court to temporarily halt the trial until they ruled on Trump’s appeal to move the venue of the hush money trial out of Manhattan. The motion was denied.
- A hearing on Trump’s gag order violations is set for Tuesday: Despite Trump’s attempts to delay, opening statements in his criminal trial will begin Monday morning. On Tuesday, the morning will shift to Trump’s discussion of witnesses in the case, as Merchan plans to hold a hearing on social media posts by the former president that prosecutors say violated his gag order. They’re asking the judge to fine Trump $1,000 per post and remind him that violations of the gag order could result in imprisonment.
5 alternate jurors were selected Friday. Here's what we know about them
From CNN's Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle, and Jeremy Herb
The full panel in Donald Trump's hush money trial has been set after five alternate jurors were selected Friday.
Remember: A full 12-person jury was seated earlier this week, along with one alternate juror.
Here's what we know about the alternate jurors selected Friday:
Alternate Juror #1
- A woman originally from Spain
- Not currently working
- Married with adult children
- Likes to travel
- Says she does not follow the news and does not have any social media accounts
- Says she doesn't "have strong opinions about former President Donald Trump that would interfere" with her ability to be a fair and impartial juror
Alternate Juror #3
- A native New Yorker
- He is a fan of martial arts
Alternate Juror #4
- A contract specialist who has previously lived in New Jersey and Oregon
- She is married with two children
- Says she likes to see live music and take her boys to basketball games
- Says she’s “not a big news person” but looks at The New York Times, Reuters and the BBC
- Does have social media profiles but doesn’t post or use them
Alternate Juror #5
- Works for a clothing company
- Married
- Says she gets her news from Google
Alternate Juror #6
- Project manager for a construction company
- She is divorced with three sons
- Her boyfriend is in law enforcement
- Says she listens to true crime podcasts
- Her father was convicted of a federal crime when she was in high school but she said she was shielded from the details
The full jury is sworn in. Catch up on what happened ahead of opening statements in the hush money trial
From CNN staff
The full jury panel has now been seated in the hush money trial against Donald Trump, clearing the way for opening statements to start on Monday.
There are 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case against the former president.
Opening statements are set to begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET. Court will be a half day on Monday and Tuesday due to Passover, ending at 2 p.m. ET each day.
Leaving the courthouse Friday, Trump again called the trial a "giant witch hunt." Just hours after jury selection finished, an appeals court denied Trump’s latest attempt to stop the trial from going forward.
Here’s what happened today:
Finishing jury selection:
- The remaining five alternates were sworn in on Friday. All 12 jurors and one alternate were selected Thursday.
- The day started with a group of 22 potential jurors answering a questionnaire and facing more questions from lawyers on both sides.
- Trump watched the alternates' answers very closely as they shared their opinions of him, turning toward the jury box as they responded.
- Before the lunch break, Judge Juan Merchan gave the jurors instructions not to discuss the case with others or research it. He said the court cannot start until all 18 jurors are present each day.
Sandoval hearing:
- The judge held a Sandoval hearing in the afternoon after the full jury was sworn in. The routine procedure aimed to address Trump’s criminal history and assess how much prosecutors can ask about it if the defendant testifies.
- Prosecutors want to bring up past cases — including a $355 million civil fraud order and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case — but the former president's legal team argues those issues aren't relevant to the case at hand.
- The judge said lawyers will have his decision on that matter by Monday.
- It's not yet clear whether the former president will testify. But coming out of the courtroom, Trump said “yes” when asked whether he would take the stand.
Meantime: A New York appeals court judge denied Trump’s motion for an interim stay pending a change of venue appeal. This was the latest attempt by the former president to stop the hush money trial before opening statements.
Outside the courtroom:
- A man lit himself on fire outside the courthouse, New York Police Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey said.
- The man walked into the park across the street from the courthouse, throwing flyers into the air, according to Maddrey. He then pulled a canister of what police believe to be an accelerant and lit himself on fire, he said.
- The man is in critical condition at Cornell Burn Unit.
- NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said police have not determined if the incident was related to Trump’s trial. He said the man did post about the incident on social media and that his internet presence will be part of the ongoing investigation.
See courtroom sketches from Trump's first criminal trial
No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump's hush money is underway, but sketch artists are capturing the scenes.
Trump’s request for interim stay of criminal trial is denied
From CNN's Lauren del Valle
A New York appeals court judge denied Donald Trump’s motion for an interim stay pending a change of venue appeal of his criminal trial.
This was the latest attempt by the former president to stop the hush money trial right before opening statements, which are set to be heard on Monday.
Judge Marsha Michael gave five minutes for each side to argue their case at the hastily arranged hearing Friday afternoon.
Trump says judge in New York hush money case “wants this to go as fast as possible”
From CNN's Kate Sullivan and Kaanita Iyer
Former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters as he exited the courtroom Friday, and said Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money trial, “wants this to go as fast as possible."
“The trial starts on Monday, which is long before a lot of people thought. The judge wants this to go as fast as possible. That’s for his reasons, not for my reasons,” Trump said.
The former president also called the trial "a giant witch hunt" and railed against people involved in the separate New York civil fraud case — including Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James — to make the case that Democrats are targeting him.
Court has adjourned
The court has adjourned for the day. Opening statements in the hush money trial are expected to begin Monday.
