Twelve jurors and one alternate have been sworn in for the criminal trial against former US President Donald Trump, as the third day of court proceedings in New York concludes.
On Thursday, Trump returned to court after a week off Wednesday. There, he continued negotiations with defense and prosecution attorneys over which candidates to select from the jury pool.
But the lawsuit began with a setback. Seven jurors were selected and sworn in on Tuesday, but only two of them were removed during Thursday's hearing.
One woman claimed she was under pressure from family and friends regarding her appointment to the jury. Another came under scrutiny for allegedly misrepresenting her past interactions with the justice system.
But jury selection quickly got back on track, and a process that could have lasted weeks ended in a matter of hours, with seven more jurors selected to the 12-person panel.
Then it was time for the lawyers and Presiding Judge Juan Mercian to turn their attention to the alternates.
Marchand said he plans to have six alternate jurors in Trump's trial in case the primary juror needs to be replaced. One person will be sworn in by the end of Thursday, and five more will be elected on Friday.
President Trump is charged with 34 felonies for falsifying business records in connection with hush money he allegedly paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. He pleaded not guilty.
Selecting a jury that will render a fair and impartial verdict has been a key hurdle in legal proceedings to date. Here are highlights from his third day of the historic trial:
all jurors participate
The defense and prosecution quickly whittled down the second pool of 96 potential jurors Thursday, many of whom were summarily dismissed for not being fair and impartial.
The remaining participants completed a 42-item questionnaire asking about their occupation, educational background, and media consumption habits.
The prosecution and defense then had the opportunity to speak and ask questions of potential jurors in a process known as “voir d'ire.'' Both sides reminded the jury of their responsibilities to the court.
“The problem with bigotry is that it affects how you see the world: what you can believe and what you can't believe,” Trump lawyer Susan Necheres said. “People who have a strong aversion to certain types of people should not be allowed to serve on juries for those types of people.”
Ultimately, seven more jurors were selected, leaving 12 jurors. A substitute was nominated.
Another group of potential jurors were sworn in by the end of the day in anticipation of a continued search for replacements Friday.
First juror dismissed explains public pressure
But Thursday's additions to the jury came after several losses.
The nurse, who was selected to serve on the jury earlier this week, was dismissed after she said her friends, co-workers and family had guessed her identity from media reports.
Jurors in the Trump trial are supposed to be anonymous. However, she explained that the woman began to receive questions from people she knew about her participation in the trial.
“At this time, I do not believe that I can be fair and impartial and keep outside influences from influencing my decisions in court,” the juror said.
Judge Machan ultimately excused her from the jury. He reiterated that “after she slept through the night, she had concerns about whether she could act fairly and impartially in this matter.”
Questions arose about the dismissal of the second juror
But the nurse was just one of two jurors present Tuesday who was dismissed. The second faced questions about the veracity of the information he provided to the court.
Prosecutors said earlier in the day that a juror, identified in media reports as an IT expert, may have lied when answering questions about whether he had ever been charged with or convicted of a crime. He expressed concern that there is.
He replied that it wasn't. But on Thursday, prosecutors noted that a man with the same name had been arrested in the 1990s for tearing down political posters in Westchester County, a suburban area north of New York City.
Judge Marchan ultimately pardoned the jurors, although he did not provide details. “He doesn't need to come back and he shouldn't come back on Monday morning,” he told the court.
This reduced the original seven jurors present Tuesday to five.
Warning regarding protection of identity of jury group
Mr Justice Marchand issued a stern warning to the court about protecting juror privacy after one former juror cited privacy concerns as a reason for his resignation.
“There's a reason this is an anonymous jury,” Marchand said. “If so much information is made public that anyone can easily identify who the jurors are, it defeats the purpose.”
Machan ruled last month that the names of the jurors would not be made public due to the sensitivity of the case and the risk of harassment or intimidation for jurors.
Aside from judges and court administrators, only prosecutors and defense attorneys are allowed to know certain personal information about candidates in order to make informed decisions about jury selection.
However, a dilemma arises for media covering trials as they seek to document other details about potential jurors without revealing their identities.
On Thursday, Judge Marchan further tightened the restrictions, asking journalists to stop reporting on details of potential jurors' appearances and work histories.
“We lost what was probably a very good jury,” the judge said of the woman who had previously been selected to serve on the jury. “She said she felt scared and intimidated by the press, all members of the press.”
A literal chill descends on the courtroom.
The jury pool's comfort manifested itself in another way later in the day, when the judge spoke about the cold conditions in the courtroom.
The Manhattan criminal courthouse where the trial is being held is an 80-year-old Art Deco building that was completed in 1941.
Judge Marchan cited the age of the infrastructure in ignoring Trump lawyer Todd Blanche's request to turn up the thermostat.
The judge said, “It's definitely cold, but I'd rather be a little cold than sweat.''
But complaints persisted, especially from Trump himself. On his way out to lunch, the former president stopped by a line of reporters sitting in the courtroom and asked, “Is it cold enough?”
The freezing temperatures were enough to elicit a second comment from Judge Marchand later that day.
“I want to apologize that it's cold in here,” Marchan said, drawing laughter from the courtroom. “We're trying to do everything we can to control temperatures, but that's extreme.”
secret witnesses
In one of the final moments before the trial ended on Thursday, Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche asked prosecutors the name of the first witness they planned to call.
But prosecuting attorney Joshua Steinglass declined to release their names, noting that Trump had a habit of bashing witnesses on his social media accounts.
Blanche argued that Trump could “promise the court and the public” that he would not write about any witnesses.
But Justice Marchand cast doubt on that claim. “You mean he won't tweet about witnesses? I don't think you can make that kind of representation,” he said before the day's proceedings were adjourned.
Trump left the courtroom and carried a stack of articles to show reporters.
“These are all stories from legal experts over the last few days,” he said, flipping through thick pages. “All these stories are legal experts saying this is not the case. This case is crazy.”
President Trump is currently facing four criminal charges, including the New York case. The April proceedings will make him the first U.S. president, past or present, to stand trial on criminal charges.
The former president has denied wrongdoing in all cases. He is also running for re-election this November.