By DAVID BAUDER and LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press Writers)
NEW YORK (AP) — The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial has instructed the media not to disclose where potential jurors have worked and to be cautious about sharing information about those who will judge the former president.
Judge Juan Merchan made this decision after one juror was dismissed due to concerns about being publicly known for her involvement in the case.
This highlights the challenge of preserving the anonymity of jurors in a highly publicized case while lawyers need access to as much information as possible in a public setting to make their selections.
Despite this setback, 12 jurors were chosen by the end of Thursday for the unprecedented trial regarding a $130,000 hush money payment made just before the 2016 election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from publicly discussing her claims of a previous encounter with Trump. He denies the encounter took place.
The dismissed juror told Merchan that friends, colleagues, and family were contacting her to ask if she was involved in the case. She stated, “I don’t think I can remain impartial and not let external pressures affect my decision-making in the courtroom.”
Merchan instructed reporters not to disclose specific workplaces of potential jurors. This placed journalists in a difficult position, as they heard this information in open court, and some media outlets were considering protesting this directive.
Even if that specific information wasn’t revealed, there was concern that enough details about potential jurors may still be leaked, leading to possible identification.
For instance, Politico on Thursday identified one potential juror as “a woman who lives in Manhattan and works as an asset manager.” She grew up in England and Hong Kong and lives with a self-employed boyfriend.
Another potential juror was noted as “an attorney for a large media company who lives in Gramercy Park.”
On Fox News Channel Wednesday night, host Jesse Watters discussed details about individuals selected for the jury and raised questions about whether some were “stealth liberals” aiming to convict Trump.
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