NEW YORK, United States: A panel of 12 jurors was sworn in Thursday to sit in judgment of former US president Donald Trump.
The unprecedented criminal trial of the former US president is expected to last six to eight weeks.
“We have our jury,” Judge Juan Merchan said after a day of intensive questioning of dozens of potential jurors by Trump’s defence attorneys and prosecutors.
Merchan hoped to select six alternate jurors on Friday (today) and hold opening arguments in the case on Monday.
Two jurors selected for Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial were excused Thursday as defence attorneys and prosecutors struggled to select jury to sit in judgment of the Republican presidential hopeful.
On Thursday, the selection process suffered a setback as two already-chosen jurors were excused.
One was because he had doubts about the veracity of some of his answers during the questioning, and the other was because he was worried that his identity has been revealed.
Trump, 77, is seeking to recapture the White House in November. He accused of falsifying business records on the eve of his 2016 election victory to cover up a sexual relationship with a porn star. The former US president has pleaded not guilty.
Seven jurors had been selected as of Tuesday but that number fell to five today following the release of the two panel members who had already been sworn in.
Judge Merchan, in order to protect the anonymity of the New Yorkers randomly selected for jury service, asked reporters Thursday to stop providing a physical description of potential jurors and not identify where they work.
A unanimous ruling will be required to convict the former president as his attorneys and prosecutors are subjecting prospective jurors to intensive questioning while seeking to fashion a panel to their liking.
Potential jurors faced questions, for example, about political donations, their media consumption, education and whether they have ever attended a pro- or anti-Trump rally.
About 50 percent of the first batch of 96 jurors ushered into the courtroom Thursday were immediately excused after stating they would be unable to be fair and impartial in a case involving one of the most famous and controversial men in the country.
The criminal trial is the first ever for a former US president and comes as the republican is taking on Democratic President Joe Biden in a bid to make a shock return to the White House in November.
Trump faces three other criminal cases, including on far more serious charges of attempting to overturn his election loss to Biden in 2020, but these have been repeatedly delayed.
