Jurors Face 'Very Important' Question in Trump Hush Money Trial: Analyst

Jurors in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial will have to answer a "very important" question, a legal analyst said this week.

While appearing on CNN's News Central, legal analyst Elliot Williams spoke about the recent jury questionnaire issued by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan in the criminal trial involving Trump and alleged hush money payments made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied claims they had an affair in 2006 and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

One question asks jurors if they have any strong opinions or beliefs that may interfere with their ability to be fair in the trial, which Williams called a "very important question."

"No matter what any juror says, the judge is ultimately going to ask them, 'OK, you've said you belong to QAnon or whatever else, can you put that aside and be a fair and impartial juror?'" Williams said.

"If the judge is convinced that the person can, then perhaps they can be added to the jury pool, but those words, 'fair and impartial juror,' will keep coming up again and again and again," Williams added.

The context:

On Monday, Judge Merchan, who is presiding over Trump's criminal trial, released details of a jury questionnaire that apply to both the defense and prosecution in the case.

In his letter, Merchan listed 42 questions that he agreed would be asked of each potential juror following discussions with both the prosecuting and defending legal teams.

"There are no questions asking prospective jurors whom they voted for or intend to vote for, or whom they have made political contributions to," Merchan wrote. "Nor are jurors asked about their specific political party registration, though the answer to that question may easily be gleaned from the response to the other questions."

What we know:

Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last April for alleged hush money payments made to Daniels and claimed the former president "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

The former president has denied any wrongdoing in the case. He was recently placed under a gag order after criticizing both Merchan and his daughter.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.

Views:

Other questions jurors will be asked include if they consider themselves a support of different organizations and movements such as QAnon, the Proud Boys and Antifa, as well as news networks they consume, such as The New York Times, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.

Earlier this month, Trump's legal team filed a motion to have Merchan recused from the case, citing issues with the judge's daughter and her affiliation with Democrats.

What's next:

Trump's criminal trial in New York brought by Bragg is set to begin on April 15.

Selection for the jury in the trial is expected to start next week.

Update, 4/9/24, 10:46 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.

Update, 4/9/24, 11:10 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.