As the trial date of former President Donald Trump’s hush money case approaches, prospective jurors are being asked to fill out a questionnaire. The list of questions includes whether they have attended a rally or campaign event for Trump, their affiliation with far-right groups, and where they get their news from.
The New York judge presiding over the trial, Justice Juan Merchan, described the questionnaire as “broad and exhaustive.” He emphasized that the purpose of jury selection is not to determine whether a potential juror likes or dislikes a party involved in the case but rather to ensure that they can set aside personal feelings and biases to render a decision based on evidence and law.
Jurors will be expected to sit for an estimated six weeks and will need to decide if Trump falsified business documents in order to conceal an alleged illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. This trial marks Trump’s first criminal trial, and it is rapidly approaching as the details of the jury selection process are finalized.