Judge Releases 7-Page Juror Questionnaire For Trump’s Upcoming Manhattan Criminal Trial
Judge Juan Merchan released the questionnaire used to select jurors for former President Donald Trump’s upcoming criminal trial in Manhattan.
The trial, scheduled to start next week, focuses on alleged hush money payments Trump supposedly made to an adult entertainer during the 2016 presidential election.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted the former president a year ago on 34 felony counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.
The questionnaire asked potential jurors about their residence, duration of residency, native New Yorker status, occupation, employer, education, marital and parental status, recreational activities, and hobbies.
It comprises 42 numbered questions covering various topics and notably does not inquire about party affiliation, political contributions, or voting history.
Some of the questions included:
Do you have any political, moral, intellectual, or religious beliefs or opinions which might prevent you from following the Court’s instructions on the law or which might slant your approach to this case?
Can you give us an assurance that you will be fair and impartial and not base your decision in this case upon a bias or prejudice in favor of or against a person who may appear in this trial, on account of that person’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability, sexual orientation or political views?
Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever worked for any company or organization that is owned or run by Donald Trump or anyone in his family?
Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever worked or volunteered for a Trump presidential campaign, the Trump presidential administration, or any other political entity affiliated with Mr. Trump?
Have you ever attended a rally or campaign event for Donald Trump?
Are you signed up for or have you ever been signed up for, subscribed to, or followed any newsletter or email listserv run by or on behalf of Mr. Trump or the Trump Organization?
Do you currently follow Donald Trump on any social media site or have you done so in the past?
Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever worked or volunteered for any and-Trump group or organization?
Have you ever attended a rally or campaign event for any anti-Trump group or organization?
Do you have any feelings of opinions about how Mr. Trump is being treated in this case?
Can you give us your assurance that you will decide this case solely on the evidence you see and hear in this courtroom and the law as the judge gives it?
Do you have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about former President Donald Trump, or the fact that he is a current candidate for president that would interfere with your ability to be a fair and impartial juror?
NBC News reports that Merchan rebutted a claim made by Trump’s attorneys regarding the significance of a potential juror’s political affiliation and their opinion of the former president, stating, “contrary to defense counsel’s arguments, the purpose of jury selection is not to determine whether a prospective juror likes or does not like one of the parties.”
“Such questions are irrelevant because they do not go to the issue of the prospective juror’s qualifications,” the judge wrote. “The ultimate issue is whether the prospective juror can ensure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law.”
Merchan suggested that the question of political affiliation “may easily be gleaned from the responses to other questions,” but warned the attorneys in the case “not to seek to expand the degree of intrusion beyond what is relevant and has already been approved.”
The issue of political preferences has arisen in the former president’s classified documents case in Florida. Trump’s legal team and prosecutors are currently embroiled in a dispute over the disclosure of political affiliation in a questionnaire for potential jurors in that case.
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