Trial Delayed: Judge Criticizes Press for Revealing Potential Juror Names, One More to be Interrogated for Inconsistencies

Judge Juan Merchán expressed his frustration on Thursday in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, as two out of the seven selected jury members were ruled out. This means that five more jurors are still required to begin the hearings, as many potential jurors have declared that they cannot be impartial. The first challenged juror, identified as juror number 2, expressed concern about being identified despite her name not being public. The reasons for the second juror’s exclusion are unknown, but the Prosecutor’s Office had expressed concern about their credibility based on questionnaire answers.

The issue of the jury was addressed before the process of choosing the remaining jurors resumed, with hope to complete 12 jurors and six alternates by Friday. However, Judge Merchán criticized the press for publishing information that led to jurors being identified, causing one potential juror to be ruled out. He emphasized that identifying information must be kept private to ensure that fair trials can take place.

The trial against Trump involves charges of alleged payment of $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels to conceal a relationship before the 2016 elections. Trump has pleaded not guilty and arrived at court without commenting to the press. The trial is expected to last for two months but challenges in choosing impartial jurors may cause delays in proceedings. Several potential jurors were ruled out for impartiality reasons and one more is set to be questioned for inconsistencies in their statements during selection process on Monday.