An exhaustive process is underway to seat 12 jurors, along with six alternates, for Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial. The judge released the questionnaire that will be presented to potential jurors, which contains multiple questions that could signal political views to the lawyers on both sides.
Here’s what potential jurors could be asked about:
- News consumption.
- Affiliations with groups like the Proud Boys, QAnon and Antifa.
- Whether they or anyone in their circle attended a Trump rally or an anti-Trump event.
- If they’ve ever read books or listened to podcasts from Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and a key witness for the district attorney.
- If they’ve read any of Trump’s own books.
- If they have views on whether a former president can be charged in state court.
- If they have views on how Trump is being treated in this case.
Why does this matter: The questions will be used for the judge to strike jurors at the outset, if they don’t believe they can render a verdict fairly. They will also be used by lawyers for both sides to strike jurors for any reason — a key part of the jury selection process.
