This is a live feed from the courthouse. As such the title may change from the original.
Justice Juan Merchan began by disposing of Donald Trump’s latest motion to recuse him from the case, saying the former president’s claims of bias or impartiality relied on “innuendo and unsupported speculation.”
“To say these claims are attenuated is an understatement,” Merchan said.
Trump had argued that Merchan’s comments to the press about the justice system generally, his opinion that politicians using Twitter is “unprofessional,” a Tweet critical of Trump that was falsely attributed to his daughter, and his daughter’s work for a consulting firm that has Democratic clients rendered the judge incapable of being fair.
This was Trump’s second failed bid to recuse Merchan.
I don’t envy the lawyers having to handle jury selection for this. With something this public, and this polarizing, I don’t understand how they could ever find 12 jurors who are truly impartial. Almost everyone in the country feels very strongly about this case one way or the other.
So the way I have heard it explained by lawyers is that people can still have feelings one way or the other, but if they can put them aside and listen to facts and come to a decision based on those facts, NOT feelings, then they would be “qualified”.
And with millions of people in Manhattan to draw upon, it should be possible.
So you’re saying they just need to find 12 people who aren’t smart enough to get out of jury selection.
I hope you don’t feel this way about your other civic responsibilities.
Go learn about jury nullification and see if your mind changes.
I would pay to sit on this jury. Of course, I’m not so sure about the impartiality part.