Day 3 of Trump New York hush money trial | CNN Politics

Day 3 of Trump New York hush money trial

From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell in the courthouse
Updated 8:02 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court on Thursday, April 18, in New York.
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Hear what Trump said minutes after jury was seated in hush money trial
3:29 • Source: CNN
Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court on Thursday, April 18, in New York.
3:29

What we covered here today

Our live coverage has concluded. Please scroll through the posts below to learn about the third day of Trump’s trial in New York.

139 Posts

"We have our jury." Key takeaways from Day 3 of Donald Trump's hush money trial

From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell

By the end of the day on Thursday, the jury in the first criminal trial of former President Donald Trump had been seated. Only five alternates are left to be selected on Friday.

Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s topsy-turvy jury selection in Trump’s criminal trial:

  • “We have our jury”: Once Trump’s attorneys and the district attorney’s office used up their 10 peremptory strikes to remove jurors, things moved quickly. The judge rejected Trump’s challenges to remove jurors for cause because they had expressed negative opinions about Trump, telling the former president’s attorneys that not liking his persona was not enough. The seated jury includes seven men and five women.
  • At least a couple of jurors on Trump’s panel said they aren’t a fan: On Thursday afternoon, jurors were generally more open about their opinions of Trump. Many said they didn’t like his politics or some of his behavior in public but felt they could see past that to be a fair and impartial juror. One woman who will eventually decide Trump’s fate called him selfish and self-serving. “I don’t like his persona,” she said. “I don’t like some of my coworkers, but I don’t try to sabotage their work.”
  • There were some bumps with the jury, likely not the last: Thursday’s court session began with one of the seven jurors who had been empaneled Tuesday returning to ask to be dismissed from the jury. She was excused after she said she was concerned aspects of her identity were made public. Later, a second juror was excused after prosecutors questioned the truthfulness of the answers he gave to questions from attorneys on Tuesday.
  • DA’s office won’t tell Trump which witnesses they will call: Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche asked the district attorney’s office to share the first three witnesses they plan to call. The district attorney’s office refused. Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass acknowledged that courtesy is often extended. But because Trump has been posting on social media about their witnesses, he said with a shrug, “We’re not telling him who the witnesses are.”
  • We’re on track to start opening arguments Monday: 22 prospective jurors have yet to go through the questionnaire process from the second panel. Merchan will begin with them on Friday to try to fill out a slate of five additional alternate jurors, although the judge noted he may change that number. If jury selection wraps up quickly enough Friday, Merchan said he will hold what’s called a Sandoval hearing Friday afternoon, where they will discuss what in Trump’s legal history can be used to try to impeach him if he chooses to testify.

See scenes from inside the courtroom

No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is underway, but sketch artists are capturing the scenes as jury selection continues.

Former President Donald Trump sits in between his lawyers Todd Blanche, left, and Emil Bove, right, as Judge Juan Merchan begins proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court on Thursday, April 18, in New York.
Former President Donald Trump sits in between his lawyers Todd Blanche, left, and Emil Bove, right, as Judge Juan Merchan begins proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court on Thursday, April 18, in New York.
Christine Cornell/CNN
Former President Donald Trump sits beside his lawyer Todd Blanche during jury selection.
Former President Donald Trump sits beside his lawyer Todd Blanche during jury selection.
Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
Former President Donald Trump, seated far left, looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding as members of the jury panel answer questions from the jury questionnaire in Manhattan criminal court Thursday, April 18, in New York.
Former President Donald Trump, seated far left, looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding as members of the jury panel answer questions from the jury questionnaire in Manhattan criminal court Thursday, April 18, in New York.
Elizabeth Williams/Pool/AP

What we know about the 12 jurors and 1 alternate chosen so far for Trump's criminal trial

From CNN's Lauren del Valle, Jeremy Herb, and Kara Scannell

The full 12-person jury for Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial has been seated. One alternate has also been selected, and jury selection will continue until about six alternates are seated.

Here’s what we know about the seven men and five women on the jury:

  • The first seated juror, who will be the foreperson on Trump’s jury, is a man originally from Ireland. He works in sales and has some college education. He is married but doesn’t have kids. He reads the New York Times and Daily Mail and watches some Fox News and MSNBC. 
  • Juror two is an investment banker who has a Master’s degree. He lives with his wife and does not have any kids. He follows Trump’s TruthSocial posts as well as Michael Cohen on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said he’s followed Trump since he became president and has seen quotes from Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal.”
  • Juror three is a corporate lawyer originally from Oregon. He gets his news from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Google. He’s a younger man who’s never been married and doesn’t have kids. 
  • Juror four is a security engineer who is married and has three kids. He has a high school diploma, no social media and reads a “smattering” of the news organizations named in the questionnaire. 
  • Juror five is a young Black woman who teaches English in a public charter school system. She has a Master’s degree in education, is not married and doesn’t have any kids. 
  • Juror six is a software engineer at a large broadcast company who recently graduated from college. She voiced no strong feelings about Trump, is not married, has no kids and currently lives with three roommates in Chelsea. The juror gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok.  
  • Juror seven is a civil litigator who is married with two kids and lives on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Originally from North Carolina, he reads the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Washington Post. He said he has “political views as to the Trump presidency” and that he thinks there were likely Trump administration policies he disagreed with.  
  • Juror eight is a retired wealth manager who is married with two kids. The man’s hobbies include fly fishing and yoga.
  • Juror nine is a speech therapist with a Master’s degree. She’s not married and lives alone.
  • Juror 10 works for an e-commerce company and says he doesn’t really follow the news. He does, however, listen to podcasts on behavioral psychology. He was born and raised in Ohio, is unmarried and lives with another adult. He says he loves to spend time outdoors and with animals. 
  • Juror 11 was seated on the jury after Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump’s challenge to remove her for cause. Trump’s lawyers argued she should be dismissed because she said she does not like Trump’s “persona.” The juror works for a multinational apparel company, is not a native New Yorker, is not married and doesn’t have kids. She doesn’t really follow the news but occasionally follows headlines and reads industry-specific publications. 
  • The final juror seated on the main panel is a physical therapist. She has a doctorate degree and reads the New York Times, USA Today and CNN. 

Meanwhile, the first empaneled alternate juror is an analyst for an asset management company who grew up in England. She lives with her boyfriend. She reads the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. 

The jury is seated: Here's what happened in court on the 3rd day of Trump’s hush money trial

From CNN staff

A jury of 12 New Yorkers has been seated in former President Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial in Manhattan. It comes after two empaneled jurors were dismissed Thursday morning and seven new jurors were chosen by the afternoon.

The jury is made up of seven men and five women.

Now, the court is working to pick up to six alternates. One has been seated so far. Judge Juan Merchan said he is hopeful the process will be finished on Friday.

Here’s what to know to get up to speed:

Seated jurors dismissed:

  • One juror was dismissed after expressing concerns that part of her identity was made public by the media. The judge then ruled the media cannot publish jurors’ answers to questions about their current or former employers.
  • A second empaneled juror was excused after prosecutors questioned the truthfulness of the answers he gave to questions from attorneys on Tuesday.

Lawyers continue their questioning:

  • The day started with a panel of 96 potential jurors. That was narrowed down to 38 after half were quickly dismissed for saying they could not be fair or impartial and another nine were dismissed because of another conflict. An additional prospective juror was dismissed after answering the questionnaire.
  • 18 jurors then faced additional questioning from lawyers in the jury box.
  • Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass started by asking them if they feel that prosecutors have more to prove “because the defendant is Donald Trump?” He also asked the potential jurors to look at Trump and ensure they can look him in the eye and say “guilty” if their case is proven. 
  • Trump attorney Susan Necheles asked whether anyone has a problem with the notion that if “two witnesses get on this witness stand and say, under oath, two diametrically opposed things,” that somebody is lying. She also asked one potential juror directly about whether she posted on social media about Trump.

Jurors excused for cause:

  • Once lawyers were done with their questioning, each side brought up challenges to get some potential jurors dismissed for cause — and not have to use their peremptory strikes.
  • The judge dismissed two potential jurors for cause. One admitted she did not think she could be fair and another had negative social media posts about Trump.
  • The judge denied a request to dismiss a potential juror who said she knew Necheles.
  • Both the prosecution and the defense used all of their peremptory strikes.

Trump in court: The former president turned his chair and faced the jury box while lawyers asked questions. He craned his neck to look at the jury pool as several prospective jurors said they disagreed with Trump’s policies or generally disliked him.

Tomorrow: Merchan swore in a new panel of potential jurors who will return on Friday when the selection of alternates will continue.

Gag order: Meanwhile, prosecutors say Trump violated his gag order seven more times, pointing to posts online and calling the situation “ridiculous.” The order was issued to stop Trump from making statements about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the family members of prosecutors and court staff in late March. Merchan will have a hearing about the matter next Tuesday.

Lawyers now need to pick at least 6 alternates. Here's when they would have to step in

From CNN's Elise Hammond

Attorneys have selected a jury of 12 New Yorkers — but now they need to seat as many as six alternates before opening statements can begin. One alternate was picked on Thursday.

Both sides know jury selection is one of the most important parts of the trial. These are the people who will hear the evidence and determine the historic outcome. Alternates ensure the trial can continue to the end if a seated juror cannot proceed.

New York criminal procedure law outlines several cases in which an alternate would replace a juror, and that juror would be dismissed, during a trial.

That includes:

  • If a juror gets sick “or other incapacity”
  • The juror is not available to serve on the jury anymore
  • If the court finds additional information or facts are revealed after jury selection that suggests the juror is “grossly unqualified” to be on the case
  • If a juror does not show up to court
  • The juror engaged in “misconduct of a substantial nature” — but not conduct that would warrant a mistrial

The state law also says alternates must have the same qualifications and go through the same examination as other jurors. They will be questioned and chosen by the judge and the lawyers in this case after all 12 jurors are seated.

Alternates will listen to the entire trial, but won’t participate in deliberations.

Trump: "I'm supposed to be in a lot of different places campaigning, but I've been here all day"

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Former President Donald Trump lamented that he is sitting in a Manhattan courtroom all day to attend his hush money criminal trial while he should be traveling across the country to campaign as part of his presidential run in 2024.

“I’m supposed to be in New Hampshire, I’m supposed to be in Georgia, I’m supposed to be in North Carolina, South Carolina. I’m supposed to be in a lot of different places campaigning, but I’ve been here all day on a trial that really is a very unfair trial,” he said as he came out of the courtroom after the day’s proceedings wrapped.

Trump held up copies of what he claimed were numerous media “stories” that have legal experts saying “this is not a case, the case is ridiculous.”

He continued to read the headlines out loud. The copies were not immediately visible and made available for viewing to reporters as he spoke.

Trump also complained about how cold the courtroom is. “I’m sitting here for days now, from morning till night, in that freezing room, freezing. Everybody was freezing in there.”

About the case: Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for his alleged role in a hush money scheme before the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty. Get up to speed on the case here.

Court is adjourned

Court is adjourned for the day. It is scheduled to resume Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Prosecutor says they won't name witnesses in advance because of Trump's social media posts

Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked for the names of prosecutors’ first few witnesses because it’s possible testimony could start as soon as Monday.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said usually they would extend that courtesy, but because Trump posts on social media about the witnesses, “we’re not telling him who the witnesses are.”

Judge says court plans to be in session Tuesday despite request from Trump team to break for Passover

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Judge Juan Merchan to confirm if he intends the court go straight through until 2 p.m. ET on Monday and Tuesday for Passover.

The judge said that is his plan.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche said Monday is fine to break at lunch but asked that they do not sit on Tuesday because it’s a holiday the entire day for one attorney on the team.

“I can appreciate it’s a holiday, the entire day for him. It’s not a court holiday,” Merchan says.

Judge says he is aiming to have Sandoval hearing on Friday

Judge Juan Merchan said he intends to have the Sandoval hearing tomorrow if there’s time left in the day.

What happens during a Sandoval hearing: A judge is asked whether previous bad acts can be brought up, and the judge is expected to weigh the probative value versus prejudicial effect of doing so, according to CNN legal analyst Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

A full jury is set for Trump's hush money case, despite starting the day with 2 setbacks

From CNN's Matt Meyer

The full 12-person jury for Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial has been seated Thursday, with Judge Juan Merchan overseeing a productive afternoon despite starting the day with two previously empaneled jurors getting dismissed.

To recap:

  • We started the day with seven seated jurors, with the goal of empaneling 12 jurors overall and likely six alternates.
  • Instead, the process moved backward, with one seated juror excused over concerns that her identity was being shared publicly, and another dismissed after the prosecution raised questions about the truthfulness of his answers to screening questions (the judge did not publicly specify why the juror was excused).
  • But the court made up ground, whittling down a batch of 96 potential jurors through questions about scheduling conflicts and the potential jurors’ ability to impartially judge the case. In the end, seven new jurors were selected.
  • Each side raised flags about potential jury members, requesting their dismissal without cause. Prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys started jury selection with 10 strikes, and used all the ones they had remaining in the process of filling the jury today.
  • Each side also had the ability request a juror be dismissed for cause, which would not expend one of their limited strikes, but required the approval of Merchan. At least one potential jury member was dismissed for cause at the request of Trump’s team.

Now we move on to the process of selecting alternates.

Process to choose the rest of the alternate jurors will start tomorrow, judge says

Twelve jurors and one alternate have been chosen for Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

The remaining alternate jurors still need to be selected – and 22 prospective jurors were seated this afternoon.

They will all go through the questionnaire and voir dire tomorrow.

Judge Juan Merchan said the process will start sharply at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Here's what we know about the first alternate juror

She is an analyst for an asset management company who grew up in England. She lives with her boyfriend. She reads The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Trump's team argued for juror who said former president "seems very selfish" to be dismissed

Juror 11: She was seated on the jury after Judge Juan Merchan denied the Trump team’s challenge for cause. The former president’s lawyers argued she should be dismissed because she said she does not like his “persona.”

During voir dire, she said:

The juror works for a multinational apparel company. She’s not a native New Yorker, not married and doesn’t have kids. She said she doesn’t really follow the news but occasionally follows headlines and reads industry-specific publications.

Juror 12: The final juror seated on the main panel is a physical therapist. She has a doctorate degree in physical therapy. She reads The New York Times, USA Today and CNN. She is married and has no children.

Jury selection for alternates will continue tomorrow

Judge Juan Merchan said court will resume tomorrow and jury selection will continue until all the alternates are seated.

He said he’s hopeful they will finish the jury selection process tomorrow.

Jurors sworn in

The empaneled jurors have been sworn in.

Judge Juan Merchan is now reading instructions to them.

A retired wealth manager, a speech therapist and a retail employee. What we know about 3 more jurors

Juror 8: A retired wealth manager who is married with two kids. The man, whose hobbies include fly fishing and yoga, said he hears things from people and he knows about Trump but, “I’m more interested in my hobbies that I do.

Juror 9: This juror is a speech therapist with a Master’s degree. She’s not married and lives alone. During voir dire the juror said, “He was our president, everyone knows who he is.”

“When he was president, everyone was kind of talking about politics,” said the juror. When asked by Trump attorney Susan Necheles if she’d feel pressured by others, she said “Not at all.” She said she would make sure not to talk about the case with anybody.

Juror 10: He works for a retailer and says he doesn’t really follow the news. He does, however, listen to podcasts on behavior psychology. “It’s my little hobby there,” he said during jury selection. He was born and raised in Ohio, is unmarried and lives with another adult roommate. He says he loves to spend time outdoors and with animals.

Jurors are being empaneled

The jurors are being empaneled now.

Jurors are in the courtroom

The jurors for the Trump hush money criminal trial are coming into the courtroom. Twelve jurors and one alternate have been seated.

"We have our jury": Judge Merchan says 12 jurors chosen in Trump's criminal trial

Judge Juan Merchan said a full 12-person jury has been seated in the Trump trial.

The court is now selecting alternates.

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