Bragg Manhattan DA charges tfg? Hush money. tfg “INDICATED!”

[Volkonski]

Judge outlines how individual jurors will be questioned

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

Judge Juan Merchan said he has changed his mind on how they will question individual jurors.

The judge said if they are going to speak to an individual juror, they will clear the courtroom of all the other jurors and send them back to the general room.

The judge said he's doing this so the juror does not feel intimidated speaking in front of a full courtroom. The juror would then answer questions from the podium with the judge, attorneys, Trump and some members of the press in the room.

Trump's attorney, however, is pushing back. The judge said the side room is designed to hold 12 people "and we are well over that number."

"We want to know who we’re getting on this jury. Anything we do discouraging jurors from being 100% open, kind of cuts against that," Merchan says, explaining his concern about having jurors in front of so many people.

[Kendra]

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

Donald Trump’s decision to attend sidebars with the judge and attorneys as jury selection in the hush money trial against him gets underway suggests the former president is very involved in his defense, CNN correspondents say.

“It’s a statement that suggests he's involved. The stakes are high here,” CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid said. “So his legal team would likely tell you this shows that he's invested, he understands that this is serious.”
Attorney Todd Blanche said earlier that Trump wants to attend every conference, including side conferences during jury selection.

That means Trump will be “eye-to-eye with these potential jurors, in close proximity, as they answer questions,” many of them about the former president that could signal their political views, CNN correspondent Kara Scannell said.

Trump’s involvement has been a focal point of his legal strategy not just in this courtroom, but in the months leading up to the trial when his lawyers worked to delay the proceedings, CNN correspondent Phil Mattingly added.

If I was a potential juror, that would freak me out.

[AndyinPA]

He's a bully. Bullies gotta bully.

[Volkonski]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/15 ... 595e2e6e66

We are hearing an argument on a fairly small issue, but the lawyers are openly fighting, with prosecutors calling the defense motions “frivolous.” Merchan weighs in, and shows his hand a bit, as he addresses the flurry of defense motions seeking to delay the trial “I don’t know how you managed to get all those motions out,” Merchan says, his tone simultaneously awed and annoyed.

[Volkonski]

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

Judge gives Trump's lawyers 24 hours to identify what exhibits they intend to use at the trial

The judge is giving Donald Trump's lawyers 24 hours to identify what exhibits they intend to use at the trial, after prosecutors allege they have stalled in providing prosecutors with the documents they want to use in their case.

"You have 24 hours," the judge said, telling Trump's team they are already in violation of an order he gave two months ago.

[Flatpoint High]

Maybe he was given a couple of Xanax to keep him calm.

he actually looks sleep deprived.

[Volkonski]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/15 ... 595e2e6e66

The question of identifying jurors’ names and protecting them is going to be paramount in this trial. Merchan stresses to the defense that the list of names cannot be copied or duplicated and must be returned after the initial pool of 96 is dealt with.

[RTH10260]

Merchan is talking directly to the former president for the first time all day, issuing a stark warning that if he fails to show up for trial without a reason a warrant will be issued for his arrest.

The Judge giving him enough rope to hang himself if he truths just one bit more in the upcoming days ...

[realist]

Judge outlines how individual jurors will be questioned

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

Judge Juan Merchan said he has changed his mind on how they will question individual jurors.

The judge said if they are going to speak to an individual juror, they will clear the courtroom of all the other jurors and send them back to the general room.

The judge said he's doing this so the juror does not feel intimidated speaking in front of a full courtroom. The juror would then answer questions from the podium with the judge, attorneys, Trump and some members of the press in the room.

Trump's attorney, however, is pushing back. The judge said the side room is designed to hold 12 people "and we are well over that number."

"We want to know who we’re getting on this jury. Anything we do discouraging jurors from being 100% open, kind of cuts against that," Merchan says, explaining his concern about having jurors in front of so many people.

That's pretty unusual. Normally what I've seen is when a juror doesn't wish to answer a question in front of all the other jurors and others in the courtroom, the judge and attorneys would leave the courtroom and go to a jury room or judge's chambers to speak with the juror. Seems ridiculous to have the rest of the panel leave and come back, but it's his courtroom.

[p0rtia]

For those who missed the reason why they're doing the clear-the-courtroom thing, it's because fuckhead has said he wants to exercise his right to be present during side bars with the individual jurors, should occasions arise when the judge wants a private word.

Normally the juror, the judge, and the lawers would go into a side room for such questions, but Merchan feels (goddamn rightly) that it would be intimidating for a prospective juror to be in a small room with fuckhead glaring at them.

I think.

[Volkonski]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald ... rcna145934

The jurors will be going through the same security process as all the reporters when entering the courtroom, which means two sets of magnetometers.

Merchan is off the bench as they wait for 96 potential jurors to enter.

[Volkonski]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/15 ... 595e2e6e66

The pro-Trump crowd inside Collect Pond Park across the street from the courthouse has dissipated as morning turned to afternoon. The crowd, which at its peak was around 150 people, has mostly left, with many pro-Trump protestors in MAGA and KAG (Keep America Great) hats sitting on benches in the shade. About six American flags (and one a Trump or Death banner) are rippling in the gentle breeze.

[MN-Skeptic]

If Trump is amused by the press reporting him chuckling over a tweet he made about Cohen, he won't be happy if they're reporting he's dozing off. Trump loved to call Biden "Sleepy Joe." Now Trump is the one falling asleep during his criminal trial while President Biden is campaigning, and meeting with military leaders, and conferring with international leaders. Meanwhile Trump is stuck in a New York courtroom, falling asleep for the world to see.

If Biden and the Democrats want to portray Trump as old, dozing off during your criminal hearing would certainly contribute to that view.

[Volkonski]

"Swatting" incident directed at the Manhattan courthouse this morning, source says


https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

Ahead of the start of the first criminal trial of a former president this morning, a couple of dozen emails were generated indicating that bombs had been placed in the area around the Manhattan courthouse, a law enforcement source told CNN.

The threats were unfounded and ruled to be a "swatting" incident, the source said.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the emails originated from a foreign email address.

[chancery]

Back ... quite a few years ago, when crack was big and the views of the media and the court system were influenced by the "superpredator" moral panic, I remember a story about violent juvenile offenders, with scenes set in police vans and lockups. One passage has stuck with me: that the arrested kids who were habitual offenders immediately went to sleep, day or night, while the hapless kids who were (more or less) innocent would spend their nights and days awake in wide-eyed terror.

Likely such scenes have been a literary trope for centuries, and I suspect that experts in trauma and stress could demonstrate that drawing moral conclusions from whether or not arrestees fall asleep is dangerous nonsense.

Nonetheless, I like the idea of associating Trump's drowsiness with his character as a lifelong hardened criminal.

[chancery]

I wonder if the judge will prevent Trump's lawyers from referring to him as "President Trump."

[MN-Skeptic]

From a tweet thread -

Jose Pagliery
@Jose_Pagliery

Jurors are sworn in, promising to answer questions truthfully.

"Good afternoon jurors. My name is Juan Merchan... and I'll be the judge presiding over this matter."

They're sitting a few feet behind their former president. Surely they feel the weight of the moment now.

Judge: "The defendant in this case is MISTER Donald Trump, who is seated to my right."

Trump's frown is fixed in place.

The defense lawyers stand up and turn to greet the jurors. Trump is slow, last to do so.

[Volkonski]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/15 ... 595e2e6e66

Among the notable names that the judge just read out as potential witnesses or people who could come up were Stephen K. Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, Melania Trump and Jared Kushner. Not all will appear as witnesses or even potentially be mentioned. But it certainly gives jurors a sense of the cast of characters.

At least five hands went up when Merchan asked whether potential jurors could not be fair and impartial.

The first juror who says he can’t be impartial, a man in a mask, has been excused. He walks past the defense table as he leaves.

Justice Merchan tells the prospective jurors that the trial will last approximately six weeks.

[bob]

Donald Trump’s decision to attend sidebars with the judge and attorneys as jury selection in the hush money trial against him gets underway suggests the former president is very involved in his defense, CNN correspondents say.

It is fairly common, especially during jury selection.

That's pretty unusual. Normally what I've seen is when a juror doesn't wish to answer a question in front of all the other jurors and others in the courtroom, the judge and attorneys would leave the courtroom and go to a jury room or judge's chambers to speak with the juror. Seems ridiculous to have the rest of the panel leave and come back, but it's his courtroom.

Yeah, normally the prospective juror, the judge, the attorneys, and court reporter (unless the reporter is listening via a remote mic) leave and come back. But I understand why a judge might conclude a prospective juror would give more honest answers in an "empty" courtroom versus after being schelped to a different room with the defendant in tow.

In the usual criminal trial, for safety reasons, the defendant often stays at counsel's table (guarded by a bailiff). And listens to the same audio the court reporter receives.

[Volkonski]

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

Judge Juan Merchan is asking potential jurors to raise their hands if they believe they cannot be fair and impartial. He's excusing those jurors one by one as they give their numbers.

Several people have raised their hands so far.

More than half of prospective jurors in the first panel of 96 people have been excused after saying they could not be fair and impartial, according to pool reports.

[Volkonski]

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ ... index.html

At least nine more prospective jurors were excused after raising their hand when Judge Merchan asked if they could not serve for any other reason.

Those reasons were not disclosed.

That leaves approximately 34 jurors out of the 96 who entered court in the initial panel.

[Volkonski]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald ... rcna145934

Each potential juror had to fill out a 42-question survey. The first 18 are now reading through their answers.

[bob]

[chancery]

Late 2019. What was the context?

[Volkonski]

April 15, 2024, 3:27 p.m. ET6 minutes ago
6 minutes ago
Maggie Haberman

One thing that is striking: Trump has used the previous court appearances in other cases to project an image of grandeur. That is hard to do in this dingy courtroom, which smells slightly off and where he is an island amid a sea of people.