TWELVE people have been chosen to serve as jurors in the upcoming criminal trial against former President Donald Trump on the third day of proceedings.
The selection process will continue into Friday as six alternate jurors will be needed before the trial can move forward.
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As of Thursday afternoon, one alternate has been chosen.
“We have our jury,” said Judge Juan Merchan after the jurors swore to decide the case in a “fair and impartial manner.”
The jurors were instructed by Merchan to not discuss the details of the case with anyone else.
Trump was present in the courtroom in Manhattan, New York, staring at the sworn-in jurors as they left.
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Merchan believes the court is on track to begin opening statements on Monday.
The news comes after two jurors who were previously selected earlier this week had to be excused.
One of the jurors, a woman, expressed concerns about being identified publically and how it would affect her ability to remain impartial.
“Aspects of my identity have already been out there in public. Yesterday alone, I had friends and family push things to me,” she told the court today.
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“I don’t think at this point that I can be fair and unbiased.”
The other juror, a man, was excused after prosecutors said they discovered information about him being potentially involved in a corruption investigation in the 1990s.
After being questioned by attorneys in front of the judge, the man was ultimately dismissed.
The excused jurors were replaced later in the afternoon when a group of 96 Manhattan residents entered the courtroom.
About half of them were immediately excused when they said they couldn’t be impartial in the trial and another nine were dismissed for reasons that weren’t revealed.
Those who remained were given a 42-question assessment to help lawyers determine their feelings about Trump.
‘A MESS’
Trump spoke to reporters after court was dismissed for the day, saying that he was supposed to be on the campaign trail but instead “I’ve been here all day,” calling the case an “unfair trial.”
He then held up a stack of news stories that he claimed were critical of the case.
“The whole thing is a mess,” he said.
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