Nine questions about the Trump trial, answered
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Who is the judge?
Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan, 61, is presiding over the case. Merchan, originally from Colombia, has served on the New York Supreme Court since 2009, overseeing felony criminal cases. He previously served as an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office in the 1990s and worked in the New York State Attorney General's office, among other roles.
Merchan has previously overseen high-profile cases, including in 2012 the case of the "soccer mom madam," when a woman named Anna Gristina was charged with running a high-end prostitution ring in Manhattan. He also presided over the Trump Organization's 2022 criminal trial involving charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, and he is currently overseeing a case involving Trump-supporter Steven Bannon on charges that he defrauded donors to build a wall along the nation’s southern border.
Trump has railed against Merchan on Truth Social, including last month when he called on the judge to recuse himself and cited Merchan’s daughter and her work as a political consultant for Democratic politicians.
"Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (whose daughter represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and other Radical Liberals, has just posted a picture of me behind bars, her obvious goal, and makes it completely impossible for me to get a fair trial) has now issued another illegal, un-American, unConstitutional ‘order,’ as he continues to try and take away my Rights," Trump posted on Truth Social last month after he was given a gag order limiting what he could publicly say about the case.
How will the jury be selected?
A large group of potential jurors will gather in the courtroom this week, where they will be presented with an overview of the case and asked whether they are able to serve in a fair and impartial manner.
Those who show they cannot be impartial will be dismissed, while those who remain will be asked a series of 42 questions, which Merchan released in a letter last week, including:
"Do you have any political, moral, intellectual, or religious beliefs or opinions which might prevent you from following the court’s instructions on the law or which might slant your approach to this case?"
"Have you read (or listened to audio) of any of the following books or podcasts by Michael Cohen or Mark Pomerantz?"
"Have you ever considered yourself a supporter of or belonged to any of the following: the QAnon movement; Proud Boys; Oathkeepers; Three Percenters; Boogaloo."
"Do you currently follow Donald Trump on any social media site or have you done so in the past?"
"Do you have any feelings or opinions about how Mr. Trump is being treated in this case?"
Jury selection will continue until 12 New Yorkers and a handful of alternates are assigned to the panel.
What is Trump saying about the case?
Trump has railed against the "hush money" case repeatedly, including in Pennsylvania on Saturday, where he held his last scheduled campaign rally ahead of the trial officially beginning Monday.
"I will be forced to sit fully gagged. I’m not allowed to talk. They want to take away my constitutional right to talk," Trump said in Pennsylvania, referring to the gag order that prevents him from publicly discussing potential witnesses and jurors.
Will the trial be televised?
The trial will not be televised and is anticipated to last between six and eight weeks. Trump is required under New York law to be in the courtroom throughout court proceedings.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nine-questions-about-the-trump-trial-answered