Several potential jurors became emotional during Friday’s voir dire proceedings as they were questioned about their ability to serve on Donald Trump’s trial.
Two people cited anxiety and unexpected stress from the process. They were invited to the bench to speak privately with Judge Juan Merchan before being dismissed.
“I’m sorry. I thought I could do this. I wouldn’t want someone who feels this way to judge my case either,” said one prospective juror. “This is so much more stressful than I thought.”
One female juror who was excused for technical reasons became emotional when talking about her past during the questionnaire portion. She began by telling the courtroom she thought she would be disqualified because she was previously convicted of a crime in another state. Trump watched intently as she shared her story with the parties at the bench.
Although she was not dismissed for being a convicted felon, she didn’t have required paperwork so she was disqualified.
“What you just did is something that most people in this courtroom would not be able to do, so thank you,” Merchan said. As she was leaving, she said, “Good luck.”
A third prospective juror also became emotional when answering whether he had experience in the criminal justice system.
“It was a good experience, but it was a tough one and the system was helpful,” he said, adding that he had been accused of a crime. He is still part of the potential jury pool going through the voir dire process.
