The jury members were seated after the pool of hundreds was thinned by challenges from prosecutors and defence lawyers alike. Photo / Jefferson Siegel, The New York Times
The jury members were seated after the pool of hundreds was thinned by challenges from prosecutors and defence lawyers alike. Photo / Jefferson Siegel, The New York Times
The cross section of New Yorkers emerged after three days of questioning. These are the citizens who will judge their former president.
The judge ordered that the jurors’ identities bekept confidential during the trial and that reporters withhold some information that could identify them.
According to their statements in court during three days of jury selection, here is what we know about the jurors:
Juror 1, who will be the foreman, works in sales and lives in West Harlem. He said that he enjoys outdoor activities. He said he gets his news from The New York Times and watches Fox News and MSNBC. He said he had heard about some of former President Donald Trump’s other criminal cases, but he did not have an opinion about him.
Juror 2 works in finance and lives in Hell’s Kitchen. He said he likes hiking, music, concerts and enjoying New York City. He said he follows Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, who is expected to be a key witness, on social media. But he also said he follows figures such as former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. He said he believed Trump had done some good for the country, adding “it goes both ways.”
Juror 3 works in the legal field and lives in Chelsea. He said he does not follow the news closely but, when he does, he reads The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and finds articles using Google. He added that he was not very familiar with Trump’s other criminal cases.
Juror 4 is an engineer from the Upper West Side. Asked how he was during jury selection, he responded, “I am freezing.” When a lawyer asked if he had strong feelings about Trump, he responded “No, not really.”
Juror 5 works in education and is from Harlem. She said she tries to avoid political conversations and doesn’t care for news. She said that she appreciates Trump’s candour. “President Trump speaks his mind,” she said. “I would rather that in a person than someone who’s in office and you don’t know what they’re doing behind the scenes.”
Juror 6 works in technology and lives in Chelsea. She said she gets her news from The New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok. She said she probably has different beliefs than Trump, but that “this is a free country.”
Trump in court for the first day of his criminal trial. Photo / Jefferson Siegel, The New York Times
Juror 7 works in the legal field and lives on the Upper East Side. He said that he is aware of Trump’s other cases but does not have an opinion about Trump’s character. He said he has “political views as to the Trump presidency,” agreeing with some Trump administration policies and disagreeing with others.
Juror 8 is from the Upper East Side and worked in finance. He said he reads The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and watches CNBC and the BBC. He enjoys fly fishing, skiing and yoga. During jury selection, he said he had no opinions or beliefs that would prevent him from being impartial.
Juror 9 works in an educational setting and is from the Upper East Side. She said of Trump that “he was our president. Everyone knows who he is,” adding that when he was in office “everyone was kind of talking about politics.”
Juror 10 is a businessman who lives in Murray Hill. He said he does not follow the news, adding, “if anything it’s The New York Times.” But he said he likes listening to podcasts on behavioural psychology, adding, “it’s my little hobby.” He said he does not have a strong opinion on Trump.
Juror 11 is a product manager and lives in Upper Manhattan. She said she does not have strong opinions about Trump but added, “I don’t like his persona, how he presents himself in public.” She then added, “I don’t like some of my co-workers, but I don’t try to sabotage their work,” drawing laughter from the jury box.
Juror 12 works in health care and lives on the Upper East Side. She said she likes listening to live music and hiking, and also listens to religious podcasts.
