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Judge Juan Merchan said another batch of 96 jurors will be brought in to be sworn in.

He'll then send them home for the day and plan for them to return tomorrow around 11 or 11:30 a.m. ET for questions.

Court typically starts around 9:30 a.m. ET. The reason they are starting later. with this panel is because there are still prospective jurors from the second panel they haven't gone through yet, which they will likely do Friday morning.

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Hmm. Running out of runway for opening arguments on Monday. We'll see what happens this afternoon and how late the court will go this evening.

They planning on letting the jury go home at night?

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The 18 prospective jurors who were questioned by the judge before the lunch break are back in the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan is addressing them in the box. They will go through 30 minutes of questioning by Trump lawyers and prosecutors.

Trump is hunched forward in his chair as prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is addressing the box of 18 jurors.

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One jury consultant said the dismissal of two seated jurors on Thursday morning could point to larger problems within the jury selection process as a whole.

One sworn-in juror was dismissed after expressing concerns that part of her identity was made public by the media. A second empaneled juror was excused after prosecutors questioned the truthfulness of the answers he gave to questions from attorneys on Tuesday.

Consultant Carolyn Koch said both of these cases underscore that this is "no ordinary trial," but the act of disqualifying people after you've vetted them in court is a "symptom of a problem."

She said in her experience with other high-profile cases involving political issues or serious crimes, written questionnaires were used. This allowed lawyers to have time to review the answers and vet people in advance before the actual jury selection process began in open court.

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"They had time in advance to really scour the landscape to make sure that on the day of jury selection, people are properly vetted, so you are not going to have surprises like that," Koch told CNN.

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Using an oral questionnaire, by contrast, doesn't allow attorneys to learn much about prospective jurors beyond what they disclose themselves, Koch said.

Background: Earlier, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass notified the court that his team found information that called into question the veracity of answers provided by the second dismissed juror. A man with the same name as the juror was arrested in the 1990s for tearing down political advertisements, according to prosecutors. It's unclear if this is the reason the juror was excused, or if he is the same person prosecutors said was arrested. The conversation that led to his dismissal was not public.

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Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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They planning on letting the jury go home at night?

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Normally the judge would tell prospective jurors if a sequestration order is a possibility as that would affect their ability to serve. I have not seen any reference to that in his instructions thus far.

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Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the prospective jurors this case is not a "referendum on the Trump presidency" but about whether "this man broke the law."

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Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass started his questions by asking the potential jurors if they feel that prosecutors have more to prove "because the defendant is Donald Trump?"
"I can be objective," said one of the prospective jurors.

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Former President Donald Trump has turned in his chair and is facing the jury box. His head is tilted again as he's listening to the back and forth between the prosecutor and the jurors answering questions.

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One potential juror, a lawyer who worked as a law clerk, said they spent a year discussing the case with colleagues in the legal profession.

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" I'm worried that I know too much," the person said.
"I just don't know I'm worried that it's going to seep in in some way."

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In his remarks to the jury pool, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass reiterates some of what he said on Tuesday about a number of the expected trial witnesses having "some edge."

He mentions an adult film star, a tabloid publisher and disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen, who lied before Congress.

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During the questionnaire, this juror also expressed concerns about how her background could impact her as a juror.

When Merchan asked whether she could give assurances to follow his instructions on the law, she sighed, before saying:

"Yes, I will follow your instructions."

She sighed a second time when asked whether discussing the case with her coworkers would affect her ability to be fair and impartial. She said she would put her legal training aside, though "it's hard to unring a bell."

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That occurred during the questioning by Merchan. The attorneys are questioning now, not sure why it was reposted now.

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Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked one prospective juror, who said she knew attorney Susan Necheles, who is on Donald Trump's legal team, about her relationship.
The prospective juror, whose husband works in the legal field, said she met Necheles through him once 15 years ago.
She said it won't affect her ability to be fair and impartial in this case.
Steinglass asked the juror to confirm she had "no reason to doubt" she could be fair and impartial. That's correct, she responded.

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Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is speaking to the jury pool about how to determine a defendant's intent through context clues. He made an analogy of a driver honking at you on the street and deducing whether the driver is waving at you or making a different hand gesture.

He asks one juror whether she can use that logic to deduce intent. "I think so. I don't see why not," she replies.

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Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has reiterated his request to push back deadlines in his federal classified documents case Thursday, saying he and his lawyers were only able to focus on the ongoing New York trial.
Defense attorneys say they can't meet a May deadline for reviewing classified evidence in the federal case because that review must be conducted in a secure facility in Florida, while they and Trump will be at the trial in New York for several weeks.
"Simply put, President Trump and his counsel cannot prepare or even discuss the required filings anywhere but an appropriate SCIF, a virtually impossible task given President Trump and Messrs. Blanche and Bove's involvement in People v. Trump," in New York, Trump's attorneys wrote in a court filing.
Trump is charged with illegally retained national defense information and concealing documents in violation of witness-tampering laws, among other alleged crimes. He has pleaded not guilty.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting the case, opposed the request, telling the judge in court filings that Trump and his legal team have already had more than enough time to meet the May 9 deadline.

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Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked the potential jurors to look at defendant Donald Trump and ensure they can look the defendant in the eye and say "guilty" if their case is proven.

The prosecutor is going one by one through the prospective jurors to answer affirmatively.

Trump is looking over at the jury box as the jury pool is saying that yes, they can do so.

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I am getting uncomfortable with how counsel is conducting voir dire. Way more specific with "facts" disputed in this case instead of the more general hypotheticals in a normal voir dire.

In effect, he's coaching them to prejudge witnesses and the state's theory of the case. Very effective strategy, BTW which is why I have doubts whether he's going too far here.

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Trump attorney Susan Necheles is now questioning the jurors for the former president.
Trump's other attorney, Todd Blanche, did it both times on Tuesday.

She begins by raising prosecutor Joshua Steinglass telling jurors that some witnesses may contradict themselves and asking them to use common sense.

She then asks whether anyone has a problem with the notion that if "two witnesses get on this witness stand and say, under oath two diametrically opposed things," that somebody is lying."Does anyone have a problem with that?" she asks.

No audible answer could be heard.

Necheles then said some government witnesses have "personal animus" against President Trump.

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"Can you understand that someone who says they want revenge against President Trump is someone whose word you should evaluate in that light?"

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No audible answers could be heard.

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As she continues her portion of questioning, Trump attorney Susan Necheles is being more direct with jurors and their social media use.

She's asking one of the prospective jurors about whether she posts on social media about the former president, and whether her husband does so as well.

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Welp, I guess anything goes during voir dire in Merchan's court since the defense team is doing the same.

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The woman said she doesn't have a strong feeling about Trump at this point, but said she may have posted about his policies in the past.

"If for instance, there's a policy that he's promoting and I disagreed about it, I might post about it," she said.

The woman said it's been a while since she posted about the former president

"I just don't have strong feelings about President Trump at this point." she said. " I don't post about him."

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Way more specific with "facts" disputed in this case

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I did not see it in the post, what disputed facts are they talking about?

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A potential juror said she has strong feelings about former President Donald Trump, when asked directly by Trump attorney Susan Necheles.

"Yes I disagree with his policies," she said. "It's a purely a political opinion," she added, noting that she doesn't have an opinion about him personally.

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Im Gipper said:

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Way more specific with "facts" disputed in this case

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I did not see it in the post, what disputed facts are they talking about?

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Cohen's and Stormy's credibility with prior inconsistent statements and in Cohen's case, multiple instances of perjury under oath for one.

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One prospective juror, a retired university administrator, said she was born and raised in Brooklyn. "I spent my whole life knowing about Donald Trump," she said.

She said her cousin lived in a Trump building and "had nothing but positive things to say about the whole construction."

However, she also acknowledged that "how I feel about him as a president is different."

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Donald Trump's attorney Susan Necheles is continuing to go down the line of potential jurors, asking them about their feelings about the former president.

Here's what they are telling her:
"Fairly neutral," says one man.

Another potential juror said, "I don't think too much about politics. I have no really strong opinion about the president"

A retired wealth manager whose hobbies include fly fishing and yoga said he hears things from people and he knows about Trump but, "I'm more interested in my hobbies that I do."

A prospective juror said he is in law enforcement and was thankful to Trump for helping to fix the Wollman Rink in Central Park.

"I don't like his persona," said another prospective juror. "I don't like some of my coworkers, but I don't try to sabotage their work."

Asked to explain what she meant about his persona, the potential juror added, "He just seems very selfish and self serving so I don't really appreciate that tin any public servant so I don't know him as a person so I don't' know how he is in terms of his integrity. It's just not my cup of tea."
"Sounds like you're saying you don't like him?" Necheles asks.
"Yes," she says.

One man said some of Trump's policies are okay, but "some of them are outrageous."

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Trump attorney Susan Necheles pressed one of the prospective jurors about her adult son's employment for a Congressional Democrat and whether it would affect her ability to be fair.
She said his work won't conflict with her ability to serve as a juror in the case against the former president.

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"I am a registered Democrat but I have no strong feelings toward him since it's my first time being in a room with him," she said.

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Asked if her son's job would affect her ability to be fair, the woman responded: "Absolutely not."

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A prospective juror who is a business owner praised the former president.

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"I mean he was our president. That's pretty amazing. He's a businessman in New York," he said. "He's forged his way...I'm impressed with that."

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He likened himself to Trump as an entrepreneur who's also accomplished things. "I see that as a positive thing," the juror said.

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He likened himself to Trump as an entrepreneur who's also accomplished things. "I see that as a positive thing," the juror said.

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Well this juror is getting a peremptory challenge from the State for sure!

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Another prospective juror says she's has thought about having former President Donald Trump as a defendant over the past several days.

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"I tend to not agree with a lot of his politics and his decisions as a president, but I've really taken the past few days to reflect and make sure I can leave that and be a totally impartial juror, and I feel like I can," she says.

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Trump attorney Susan Necheles asks her what she feels like she has to leave behind to be impartial.
"There's so much information about him everywhere," the prospective juror responds. "He was our president. Everyone knows who he is."
Asked if she posts about him on social media, she says, "No, I try to stay away from politics on social media."

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Donald Trump attorney Susan Necheles is now asking all the potential jurors if they would be able to return a verdict of not guilty if prosecutors don't prove their case. All of the people in the jury pool said, yes.

Moments ago, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked if the potential jurors would be able to look at Trump and say "guilty" if the case was proven.

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Eighteen potential jurors are leaving the courtroom after being questioned by prosecutors and attorneys for former President Trump.

Both sides can use peremptory strikes to dismiss potential jurors they don't want without providing a reason. Each side has four strikes left. They can also ask the judge to dismiss jurors for cause, which means they would not use a strike.

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Prosecutors and Donald Trump's attorneys will now review the latest batch of 18 potential jurors and move onto strikes.
What this means: Both sides were given 10 peremptory strikes that they could use to excuse jurors. Trump and prosecutors used six on Tuesday, leaving them each with four strikes remaining.
These strikes can be used to dismiss potential jurors they don't want without providing a reason.
Both parties can also ask the judge to dismiss jurors for cause, which means they would not use a strike.

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A new panel of nearly 100 prospective jurors is making their way into the courtroom.
Judge Juan Merchan said earlier that the batch of 96 jurors will be sworn in. Then he'll then send them home for the day and plan for them to return tomorrow around 11 or 11:30 a.m. ET for questions.
Court typically starts around 9:30 a.m. ET. The reason they are starting later with this panel is because there are still prospective jurors from the second panel they haven't gone through yet, which they will likely do Friday morning.

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Thursday's dismissal of two jurors who were seated underscores how the process is not perfect and requires "self-reflection and self-disclosure," a CNN legal analyst noted.

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"We were one step forward, now it's two jurors back," CNN's Laura Coates told CNN's Boris Sanchez. "It's not a perfect system. It's not quite an honor system. But it is about self-reflection and self-disclosure."

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The goal is to find jurors who don't have a personal stake in the matter and who can keep an open mind, but it's proving more and more challenging as the hours not just the days go by, Coates added.

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Prosecutors and Donald Trump's attorneys are still huddling with their respective groups in court as they review the latest batch of 18 potential jurors and move on to strikes.
Both parties had the opportunity to question the potential jurors about their feelings regarding the former president and whether they think they can be fair in the trial.

What this means: Both sides were given 10 peremptory strikes that they could use to excuse jurors. Trump and prosecutors used six on Tuesday, leaving them each with four strikes remaining.
These strikes can be used to dismiss potential jurors they don't want without providing a reason. Both parties can also ask the judge to dismiss jurors for cause, which means they would not use a strike.

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One of the prospective jurors was dismissed after prosecutors asked she be removed for admitting she did not think she could be fair.

Judge Juan Merchan asked Trump's lawyers if they have any objection to prosecutor's request to excuse the juror, and they said they do not.

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These strikes can be used to dismiss potential jurors they don't want without providing a reason.

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I know you know about Batson but it's worth repeating, if the other side issues a Batson challenge you have to state a non-race or sex related reason.

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According to Susan Necheles, a potential juror who earlier said she knew the Trump attorney actually stayed at Necheles' home with her family.

The juror will be brought in for questioning soon.

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Two more jurors have been chosen to serve on the jury for the Trump criminal trial in New York.

They take the place of two who were dismissed from the panel earlier today.

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Back up to 7 seated jurors. Five to go for the jury and then six more for alternates, a necessity given the expected length of this trial.

ETA: Correction to the post

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Prosecutors struck one juror from the first seven in the pool.

Former President Donald Trump's side struck three of the seven.

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Trump attorney Susan Necheles has now moved on to removing another juror for cause, a woman she says has "vitriolic" social media posts about the former president through 2020.

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"She said I wouldn't believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized. This is a woman who is going to be judging if he testifies," Necheles told Judge Juan Merchan.
"She says she stopped posting because of Covid," Necheles said, not because she changed her view about Trump.

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The woman called Trump "racist, sexist, narcissist" in social media posts, Necheles said.
Merchan is now reviewing the posts provided by Trump's attorneys.

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The potential juror being questioned about past social media post read back what she wrote around the 2016 election, where she stated that former President Donald Trump was being sexist and racist.
"Oops that sounds bad, thanks guys," she says, noting they were "strong words."

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"I was in a disturbed frame of mind during that election cycle. I was very concerned," she says. "I do not hold those positions today."

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"They're very negative posts," she added.
When the judge instructs her to turn to the next page, she replies, "Oh gosh. Let's see."
There's also a post she wrote in 2024 about presidential immunity. "I don't believe in presidential immunity. But that's a different case," she says.

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The two newly empaneled jurors are both men.

• Juror 2 is an investment banker who has a Master's degree. He lives with his wife and does not have any kids. He follows Trump's TruthSocial posts and Michael Cohen on X/Twitter. He said he's followed Trump since he became president, "Generally because it was a news item when he would put a tweet out so good to be aware of that." The juror has also read Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal."
• Juror 4 is a security engineer who is married and has three kids. He has a high school diploma. He doesn't have social media and reads a "smattering" of the news organizations named in the questionnaire.

It brings the total number of jurors back to seven as two people were excused this morning one over concerns about her identity being public and one after prosecutors called into question the truthfulness of their answers.

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JUST IN: A full jury has been picked for Donald Trump's New York trial. All that remains are the alternates. Stay tuned for details from @eorden @benfeuerherd : https://t.co/LdhsCaw4xR

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 18, 2024

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A potential juror who wrote what the Trump attorney described as "vitriolic" posts about the former president on social media was dismissed from the jury panel.

Judge Juan Merchan said it was a "close call" and noted that she had apologized to Trump, but ruled he would grant the challenge by his attorneys and dismiss her for cause.
The potential juror said she's changed her views toward Trump to some extent since her harsh posts.
She said she would withdraw the term racist she once used against Trump.
She did say:

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"There have been behaviors that I haven't approved of President Trump toward females." But she said his ethics are his business and not at issue at this trial.

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Donald Trump's has used his last strike. Prosecutors still have two strikes left.

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Three more jurors have been seated on the jury. That brings the total number to 10 jurors.

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Both sides in the courtroom used all their peremptory strikes on potential jurors.

The Trump defense and the prosecution began the trial with 10 strikes each.

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Out of strikes. Who is remaining?

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Judge Juan Merchan said a full 12-person jury has been seated in the Trump trial.

The court is now selecting alternates.

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The jurors for the Trump hush money criminal trial are coming into the courtroom. Twelve jurors and one alternate have been seated.

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Kind of how it works when out of strikes.

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The jurors are being empaneled now.

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We will see if any jurors quit tomorrow.

Will the alternates be known, or will that be decided when the jury gets the case to deliberate?

ETA: looks like the alternates will know they are alternates.

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Judge Juan Merchan said court will resume tomorrow and jury selection will continue until all the alternates are seated.
He said he's hopeful they will finish the jury selection process tomorrow.

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Juror 11: She was seated on the jury after Judge Juan Merchan denied the Trump team's challenge for cause. The former president's lawyers argued she should be dismissed because she said she does not like his "persona."

During voir dire, she said:

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"He just seems very selfish and self-serving so I don't really appreciate that in any public servant, so I don't know him as a person; so I don't' know how he is in terms of his integrity. It's just not my cup of tea."

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The juror works for a multinational apparel company. She's not a native New Yorker, not married and doesn't have kids. She said she doesn't really follow the news but occasionally follows headlines and reads industry-specific publications.

Juror 12: The final juror seated on the main panel is a physical therapist. She has a doctorate degree in physical therapy. She reads The New York Times, USA Today and CNN.

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Here's what we know about the first alternate juror

She is an analyst for an asset management company who grew up in England. She lives with her boyfriend. She reads The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

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The full 12-person jury for Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial has been seated Thursday, with Judge Juan Merchan overseeing a productive afternoon despite starting the day with two previously empaneled jurors getting dismissed.
To recap:

• We started the day with seven seated jurors, with the goal of empaneling 12 jurors overall and likely six alternates.
• Instead, the process moved backward, with one seated juror excused over concerns that her identity was being shared publicly, and another dismissed after the prosecution raised questions about the truthfulness of his answers to screening questions (the judge did not publicly specify why the juror was excused).
• But the court made up ground, whittling down a batch of 96 potential jurors through questions about scheduling conflicts and the potential jurors' ability to impartially judge the case. In the end, seven new jurors were selected.
• Each side raised flags about potential jury members, requesting their dismissal without cause. Prosecutors and Trump's attorneys started jury selection with 10 strikes, and used all the ones they had remaining in the process of filling the jury today.
• Each side also had the ability request a juror be dismissed for cause, which would not expend one of their limited strikes, but required the approval of Merchan. At least one potential jury member was dismissed for cause at the request of Trump's team.

Now we move on to the process of selecting alternates.

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Judge Juan Merchan said he intends to have the Sandoval hearing tomorrow if there's time left in the day.

What happens during a Sandoval hearing: A judge is asked whether previous bad acts can be brought up, and the judge is expected to weigh the probative value versus prejudicial effect of doing so, according to CNN legal analyst Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

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Prosecution wants to bring in the E. Jean Carroll case and the real estate valuation case judgments as examples of prior bad acts, I assume.

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Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked for the names of prosecutors' first few witnesses because it's possible testimony could start as soon as Monday.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said usually they would extend that courtesy, but because Trump posts on social media about the witnesses, "we're not telling him who the witnesses are."

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Well that's a problem. How can defense team prepare their cross when they don't know who will be called that day?

And it isn't a courtesy, it is a normal requirement. Witnesses can be taken out of order for the day upon notice to the court but opposing counsel still is informed of the witnesses they expect to call.

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Court is adjourned for the day. It is scheduled to resume Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

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Attorneys have selected a jury of 12 New Yorkers but now they need to seat as many as six alternates before opening statements can begin. One alternate was picked on Thursday.
Both sides know jury selection is one of the most important parts of the trial. These are the people who will hear the evidence and determine the historic outcome. Alternates ensure the trial can continue to the end if a seated juror cannot proceed.

New York criminal procedure law outlines several cases in which an alternate would replace a juror, and that juror would be dismissed, during a trial.
That includes:

• If a juror gets sick "or other incapacity"
• The juror is not available to serve on the jury anymore
• If the court finds additional information or facts are revealed after jury selection that suggests the juror is "grossly unqualified" to be on the case
• If a juror does not show up to court
• The juror engaged in "misconduct of a substantial nature" but not conduct that would warrant a mistrial

The state law also says alternates must have the same qualifications and go through the same examination as other jurors. They will be questioned and chosen by the judge and the lawyers in this case after all 12 jurors are seated.

Alternates will listen to the entire trial, but won't participate in deliberations.

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aggiehawg said:

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Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked for the names of prosecutors' first few witnesses because it's possible testimony could start as soon as Monday.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said usually they would extend that courtesy, but because Trump posts on social media about the witnesses, "we're not telling him who the witnesses are."

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Well that's a problem. How can defense team prepare their cross when they don't know who will be called that day?

And it isn't a courtesy, it is a normal requirement. Witnesses can be taken out of order for the day upon notice to the court but opposing counsel still is informed of the witnesses they expect to call.

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These are fascists. No chance of a fair trial.

And no need to even pretend.

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The full 12-person jury for Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial has been seated. One alternate has also been selected, and jury selection will continue until about six alternates are seated.
Here's what we know about the seven men and five women on the jury:

• The first seated juror, who will be the foreperson on Trump's jury, is a man originally from Ireland. He works in sales and has some college education. He is married but doesn't have kids. He reads the New York Times and Daily Mail and watches some Fox News and MSNBC.
• Juror two is an investment banker who has a Master's degree. He lives with his wife and does not have any kids. He follows Trump's TruthSocial posts as well as Michael Cohen on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said he's followed Trump since he became president and has seen quotes from Trump's book "The Art of the Deal."
• Juror three is a corporate lawyer originally from Oregon. He gets his news from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Google. He's a younger man who's never been married and doesn't have kids.
• Juror four is a security engineer who is married and has three kids. He has a high school diploma, no social media and reads a "smattering" of the news organizations named in the questionnaire.
• Juror five is a young Black woman who teaches English in a public charter school system. She has a Master's degree in education, is not married and doesn't have any kids.
• Juror six is a software engineer at a large broadcast company who recently graduated from college. She voiced no strong feelings about Trump, is not married, has no kids and currently lives with three roommates in Chelsea. The juror gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok.
• Juror seven is a civil litigator who is married with two kids and lives on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Originally from North Carolina, he reads the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Washington Post. He said he has "political views as to the Trump presidency" and that he thinks there were likely Trump administration policies he disagreed with.
• Juror eight is a retired wealth manager who is married with two kids. The man's hobbies include fly fishing and yoga.
• Juror nine is a speech therapist with a Master's degree. She's not married and lives alone.
• Juror 10 works for an e-commerce company and says he doesn't really follow the news. He does, however, listen to podcasts on behavioral psychology. He was born and raised in Ohio, is unmarried and lives with another adult. He says he loves to spend time outdoors and with animals.
• Juror 11 was seated on the jury after Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump's challenge to remove her for cause. Trump's lawyers argued she should be dismissed because she said she does not like Trump's "persona." The juror works for a multinational apparel company, is not a native New Yorker, is not married and doesn't have kids. She doesn't really follow the news but occasionally follows headlines and reads industry-specific publications.
• The final juror seated on the main panel is a physical therapist. She has a doctorate degree and reads the New York Times, USA Today and CNN.

Meanwhile, the first empaneled alternate juror is an analyst for an asset management company who grew up in England. She lives with her boyfriend. She reads the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked for the names of prosecutors' first few witnesses because it's possible testimony could start as soon as Monday.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said usually they would extend that courtesy, but because Trump posts on social media about the witnesses, "we're not telling him who the witnesses are."

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Well that's a problem. How can defense team prepare their cross when they don't know who will be called that day?

And it isn't a courtesy, it is a normal requirement. Witnesses can be taken out of order for the day upon notice to the court but opposing counsel still is informed of the witnesses they expect to call.

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These are fascists. No chance of a fair trial.

And no need to even pretend.

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And I would add that a defense team splits duties between themselves on who will handle which witnesses, not only on cross during the prosecution's case in chief but their own presentations of their case in chief. And sometimes that includes having to call witnesses that were on the state's lit but that the state ended up not calling.

In very long trials such as this one is expected to be (don't ask me why, should be a pretty simple case on accounting ledger entries) the fatigue factor becomes an issue which is why a tag team approach is used for different witnesses.

Further, a scheduling order with witness lists and exhibit lists is usually required before trial begins and ay disputes already settled using motion in limines. That Sandoval hearing Merchan scheduled should have already taken place with Merchan's ruling. My fear is that Merchan will take it under advisement and not rule, leaving the issue open until the prosecution brings it up in open court in front of the jury.

As Emily D. Baker says, "you can't put the s*** back in the horse" once the jury has heard it. Why is that important? Because several of the jurors are unfamiliar with the other cases against Trump, making bringing those up more prejudicial than probative. (The aim of the Sandoval hearing, to resolve those issues.)

HTownAg98 said:

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Will the alternates be known, or will that be decided when the jury gets the case to deliberate?

ETA: looks like the alternates will know they are alternates.

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I'm not sure. For civil trials, there is a drawing after trials to determine the alternates but can't find a similar provision in the crim law alternate rules. (might be there just can't find it.

As a matter of trial practice, I strongly disfavor the alternates knowing they are alternates before the trial. They tend not to pay as close of attention if they know ahead of time they likely will not be allowed to deliberate the case and reach a verdict. They tend to not take notes (if allowed by the jurisdiction) and tend to fall asleep because they aren't paying much attention and most trials are quite boring.

The legal stuff aside, I wonder what Trump's wife thinks about all the details going to be relived and front page in the news during this trial RE her husband doing it with a porn star and then paying 'hush money'.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how solid do we think Trump's marriage is right now? Sleep in same bedroom solid? Same bedroom but different beds? Different bedrooms? Different houses? Or different states?

I have a suspicion that she will NOT be following this trial very closely, if at all.