A heavy task now weighs on their shoulders: that of judging Donald Trump. The trial which opened Monday April 15 in New York is historic because for the first time in American history, a former president is tried in a criminal case.
Friday, on the fourth day of hearings, the twelve jurors and six alternates were chosen by the Manhattan court, thus opening the way for the debates. In just three days, 200 potential jurors showed up: some were ousted by the defense or prosecution, others recused themselves. Two women in particular collapsed under the pressure. Ultimately, seven men and five women were selected.
For their safety, Judge Merchan promised them anonymity. Even the lawyers of each party are not authorized to know their identity. However, some information has been published about them: they work in law, finance, commerce and even education. Most of them are highly qualified. Here’s what we know.
Juror #1: The first juror is the president of the jury: he is presented by the American media as a married man, without children, who works in sales. He is originally from Ireland, enjoys the outdoors and reads the New York Times, Daily Mail and watches Fox News.
Juror #2: The second juror is a married man with no children, an investment banker with an MBA. He lives with his wife in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. His hobbies are music and concerts. He said he follows the former president on social media and has read some “quotes” from Donald Trump’s book, The Art oh the Deal. He explained that he is extremely well informed and follows all the news as part of his work.
Juror #3: The third juror is a man who works in business and corporate law. He is married with three children and lives in Chelsea. He reads the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. In his personal time, he enjoys hiking and running.
Juror #4: The fourth juror is a man, a safety engineer. He has lived in the West Village for 15 years. He enjoys working with wood, metal and listening to humorous podcasts in his free time.
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Juror No. 5: Juror number 5 is a woman, an English teacher in the public who defines herself as a “creator at heart”. She loves theater, writing and traveling. She is described as a young black woman who is unmarried and childless. She grew up in Harlem. In court, she explained that she had friends who had strong opinions about Donald Trump but that she herself did not, and that she was not really interested in the news: “ President Trump says what he thinks and I prefer that to someone who is in office and we don’t know what he thinks,’” she said during the jury selection process.
Juror #6: The sixth juror is a woman who has just graduated from college. She currently lives in Chelsea with a shared apartment. She works as a software engineer and enjoys spending time with friends, family and going to restaurants. She says she reads the New York Times and gets information via Google, Facebook and TikTok.
Juror No. 7: the seventh juror is a man, a civil lawyer. However, he told the court that he did not know anything about criminal litigation. He is married with two children and lives on the Upper East Side. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family. He follows the news by reading the New York Times, Washington Post and the New York Post. He also listens to the Car Talk podcast. He told the court he had some political opinions about Donald Trump’s term in office, both positive and negative.
Juror No. 8: the eighth juror is a retiree, former asset manager. He has an MBA and has lived on the Upper East Side for several decades. He loves yoga and practices it every morning. He gets his information via the BBC, the New York Times and watches CNN. He has two children: a daughter and a son.
Juror #9: The ninth juror is a woman. She is not married and has no children. She is a speech therapist and lives on the Upper East Side. She has a master’s degree and enjoys going to restaurants and watching TV. She doesn’t watch the news but she follows reality TV podcasts. “I strongly believe that I can be fair and impartial,” she said during the selection process.
Juror No. 10: the tenth juror is a man who works in e-commerce. He is from Ohio and is not married. He reported listening to podcasts on behavioral psychology and not following the news much. He does, however, read the New York Times.
Juror No. 11: the eleventh juror is a woman, responsible for product development. She is not married and has no children. She enjoys exploring the city and restaurants in her free time. Concerning Donald Trump, she said she did not like “the character” and found him “very selfish and interested”. : “I don’t really agree with some of his political views, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be impartial,” she said. “I don’t like some of my colleagues, but I’m not trying to sabotage their work,” she added, provoking laughter from the court, as reported by the BBC.
Juror No. 12: the twelfth juror is a woman. She is a physiotherapist and holds a doctorate in physiotherapy. She is married, without children, and lives on the Upper East Side. His hobbies include running, tennis, live music and sports podcasts. She says she gets information from the New York Times, USA Today and CNN.