Two days into Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, the first seven jurors have been selected, and they are now tasked with deciding the outcome of the first criminal trial of a former president in U.S. history.
The anonymous jurors will hear evidence related to allegations that Trump participated in a scheme with his former attorney Michael Cohen to falsify records in order to cover up reimbursements he paid to Cohen. The reimbursements were allegedly for a “hush money” payment Cohen made just before the 2016 election to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump years earlier.
Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has accused prosecutors of pursuing the case for political gain.
The jurors were chosen from a pool of dozens of Manhattan residents on Tuesday. Each answered questions about their political opinions, personal lives and news consumption habits before they were seated. All promised to serve impartially.
The final jury will include a total of 12 jurors, and six alternates. Here’s what we know about the seven jurors in the Trump trial so far:
Juror #1
Juror #1 is a man originally from Ireland who now lives in West Harlem and works in sales. He was assigned by the judge to be foreperson. He enjoys the outdoors and gets his news from the New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC.
Juror #2
The second juror is a woman who lives on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and works as an oncology nurse. She said she likes taking her dog for a walk, and gets her news primarily from the New York Times, CNN and Google. “I’m here for my civic duty. I’m here just to listen to the facts,” she said in court Tuesday.
Juror #3
Juror #3 is a corporate lawyer originally from Oregon who now lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. He said he likes to go hiking, and gets his news from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Google. He said he was “not super familiar with the other charges” that Trump faces and doesn’t “follow the news that closely.”
Juror #4
Originally from Puerto Rico, Juror #4 said he reads The New York Daily News and The New York Times, and cited “my family” as his hobby. An IT consultant, he described Trump as “fascinating and mysterious.”
Juror #5
The fifth juror is a middle school English teacher who said she is not very interested in politics or the news, which she gets from The New York Times and TikTok. While her friends have strong opinions about Trump, this Harlem resident said she does not. She offered this opinion under questioning from one of Trump’s lawyers: “President Trump speaks his mind. 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
A software engineer who lives in Chelsea, Juror #6 said she can treat Trump as she would any other person on trial. She reads The New York Times and uses TikTok.
Juror #7
A civil litigator living on the Upper East Side, Juror #7 said he enjoys time outdoors with his children. He told the court he reads The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and The Washington Post. He likes the podcasts “Smartless” and “Car Talk.
