Donald Trump will be judged in his historic New York criminal trial by 12 jurors selected last week after a painstaking search for people who could be fair and impartial to the Republican former US president in Manhattan, the Democratic stronghold where he made his name as a real estate tycoon decades ago.
To protect their safety, the judge overseeing the case has limited what the media can report about the panellists, including their employers and any identifying information that was not explicitly stated in the record, such a gender or age.
Juror 1: Originally from Ireland, the first juror and foreperson lives in West Harlem and has worked in sales for 28 years. The juror attended some college, and they said they get their news from The New York Times, Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC. The juror said they have heard about Mr Trump’s three other criminal cases, to which Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Juror 2: An investment banker who lives with a spouse in Hell’s Kitchen in Midtown Manhattan, Juror 2 has a master’s degree in business administration and gets most of their news from the social media platform X. The juror follows former Trump lawyer and prosecution witness Michael Cohen on social media, as well as Mueller She Wrote, a popular anti-Trump account.
Juror 3: The third juror is one of two corporate lawyers on the panel. They live in the upscale Chelsea neighbourhood but are originally from Oregon. They said they are not “super familiar” with the other cases against Mr Trump and do not follow the news closely but occasionally read The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
Juror 4: A California native who lives in the West Village with a spouse and three children, Juror 4 has worked as a security engineer for the past 25 years. They have a high school degree and attended some college. They do not use social media and get their news from various sources.
Juror 5: The fifth juror is a self-identified person of colour and lifelong New Yorker who lives in Harlem. They have a master’s degree in education and have been an English teacher for the past eight years. They said they “do not care for the news” and get most of their information from Google and TikTok.
Juror 6: Another New York City native, Juror 6 has a bachelor’s degree and works as a software engineer for a large media and entertainment company. They said they get their news mainly from The New York Times and TikTok.
Juror 7: The seventh juror is an attorney for a large corporate law firm who is originally from North Carolina but has lived in the Upper East Side for 12 years. They have a bachelor’s degree in business and a law degree. The juror has many friends and relatives who work in finance and law, including the juror’s spouse.
Juror 8: Originally from Lebanon, Juror 8 has lived in the Upper East Side since 1980. The juror is retired but previously worked as a wealth manager for a major financial firm and still consults with some clients. They get their news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC and CNBC.
Juror 9: The ninth juror has lived on the Upper East Side for three years but grew up in New Jersey. They have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree and have worked as a speech therapist for five years. The juror said they do not follow the news closely but occasionally listens to The New York Times and CNN podcasts.
Juror 10: An Ohio native who has lived in the Murray Hill neighbourhood for six years, Juror 10 works for an eyewear company and lives with an accountant. They have a bachelor’s degree.
Juror 11: This juror has lived in upper Manhattan for 15 years but is originally from California. They have worked as a product development manager for a multinational apparel company for 20 years. The juror said they do not follow the news closely except through Google and some industry-specific publications.
Juror 12: The final juror has lived on the Upper East side for nearly three years and previously lived in Minnesota and several other states. They have a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in physical therapy and have worked as a physical therapist for 15 years. The juror gets their news from The New York Times, USA Today and CNN, and they also listen to podcasts about religion and sports. – Reuters
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024