Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday morning in the case People of the State of New York v. Donald Trump — the first criminal trial of a former president.
The search for a jury of 12 people and six alternates got off to a slow start on Monday, as more than half of the 96 potential jurors summoned to the Manhattan court said they could not be “fair and impartial” when it comes to Trump. . , the polarizing New York native and former commander in chief.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is expected to attend the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a secret payment to a porn star during the final days of the 2016 presidential election. The low-level crime is punishable by up to four years in prison.
Trump complained in court on Monday that Judge Juan Merchan would not let him miss court on May 17 to attend his son’s high school graduation, although Merchan has not yet ruled on the request, saying he would do so more afternoon.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche also asked whether Trump could be dismissed on April 25, the date set for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his arguments about presidential immunity stemming from the federal election interference case against him. Merchan rejected the request after Blanche told him, “We shouldn’t be here right now.”
“Don’t you believe you should be here now?” the indignant judge responded. “He is obliged to be here. He is not required to be on the Supreme Court.”
The issues were some of several raised by attorneys for both sides in court Monday, resulting in the jury selection process not beginning until the afternoon. Only nine potential jurors answered the questions on Merchan’s 42-question form — which included several questions about his political affiliations and opinions of Trump himself — before the end of the court day.
Trump’s eyes were closed during part of Monday’s proceedings as Merchan read his instructions to potential jurors — creating speculation about whether he was asleep or just deep in thought.
The remaining jurors from the first group will continue answering questions Tuesday morning before prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office and Trump’s lawyers ask follow-up questions.
After that, they will move on to the next group of 96. Merchan estimated the process will take one to two weeks.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
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