Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks

Jury selection in the first criminal trial of a U.S. ex-president begins today

(Image credit: Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)

published 15 April 2024

What happened

Former President Donald Trump's first criminal trial begins on Monday with jury selection. The 12 jurors will decide if Trump is guilty of business fraud in connection with 2016 hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accuses Trump of buying Daniels' silence about an alleged extramarital affair to influence the 2016 election.

Who said what

Manhattan is heavily Democratic, but "voters and jurors are two different types of people," defense attorney Ross Cellino told The Washington Post. Jurors "take their oath seriously to evaluate the evidence presented to them" and "appreciate the gravity of their vote in a trial." Trump needs just "one angry juror" to trigger a mistrial, Norman Eisen said at CNN.

The commentary

This hush money case has the "lowest stakes of the four prosecutions he faces," The Wall Street Journal said. But it "may be the only one of Trump's criminal cases to wrap before Election Day."

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What next?

After the jury is selected, the trial is "likely to last from six to eight weeks," the Journal said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.