The trial of former President Donald Trump, the first criminal trial of a former commander-in-chief and the first of his four indictments to go to trial, starts with jury selection. Trump, who is also the presumptive nominee for this year's Republican ticket, will be campaigning during the night while spending his days in court. The trial not only focuses on Trump but also puts the justice system itself on trial as it deals with a defendant who has used his prominence to attack various individuals and question the legitimacy of the legal structure.
FILE - Former President Donald Trump leaves Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. of former President Donald Trump begins Monday with jury selection .
Against that backdrop, scores of ordinary citizens are due to be called Monday into a cavernous room in a utilitarian courthouse to determine whether they can serve, fairly and impartially, on the jury.can assure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law," Judge Juan M. Merchan wrote in an April 8 filing.
Prosecutors say the payments to Cohen were falsely logged as legal fees in order to cloak their actual purpose. Trump's lawyers say the disbursements indeed were legal expenses, not a cover-up. Regardless of the eventual outcome, the trial of an ex-president and current candidate is a moment of extraordinary gravity for the American political system, as well as for Trump himself. Such a scenario would have once seemed unthinkable to many Americans, even for a president whose tenure left a trail of shattered norms, including twice being impeached and acquitted by the Senate.
Manhattan prosecutors have countered that a lot of the publicity stems from Trump's own comments and that questioning will tease out whether prospective jurors can put aside any preconceptions they may have. There's no reason, prosecutors said, to think that 12 fair and impartial people can't be found amid Manhattan's roughly 1.4 million adult residents.Merchan's courtroom
The rest will be eligible for questioning. The 42 preapproved, sometimes multi-pronged queries include background basics but also reflect the uniqueness of the case.
Donald Trump Trial Jury Selection Criminal Trial Former President Justice System Republican Ticket Campaign Legal Structure
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