- Nada Tawfik & Max Matza
- BBC News
image source, Getty Images
The judge overseeing the first-ever criminal trial of a US president has granted jurors anonymity.
Donald Trump is scheduled to go on trial in New York on March 25 on charges that he led a hush-money cover-up in 2016.
Thursday’s judge’s order said Trump “has an extensive history of repeatedly attacking trial jurors and grand jurors in public.”
Trump has denied the charges and described the incident as a political witch hunt.
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan issued a secrecy order that would keep the jurors anonymous due to “the possibility of bribery, jury tampering, or physical injury or harassment of jurors.” He said the decision was appropriate.
Trump faces 34 counts of fraud for falsifying business records to disguise payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as legal fees.
Ms Daniels said she was paid $130,000 (£103,000) to keep quiet about sex with the then presidential candidate in 2016. Trump denies that the two had an affair.
This is one of four criminal cases against the former president.
The judge’s order allows the names to be known not only to the parties’ legal teams, but also to legal consultants hired by both sides to assist in the jury selection process.
Prosecutors had asked for the jurors’ identities to be protected, an unusual request typically made in high-profile cases or cases involving violent organizations such as the Mafia.
The trial could last about six weeks and could affect Mr. Trump’s ability to campaign for the White House ahead of November’s election.
Jury selection is expected to be one of the most contentious and time-consuming parts of the trial.
Felony court trials in New York require 12 jurors and up to six alternates.
Once the trial begins, potential jurors could face questions ranging from where they get their news to whether they’ve ever had a political bumper sticker on their car.
Also, whether you believe the 2020 election was stolen, have read any of Trump’s books, or talk about Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and expected to be a key prosecution witness. You may also be asked if you have heard of it.
It remains unclear how much Trump will attend the trial in person.
The defendant must be present on the first day, but after that the court has limited discretion to permit the defendant not to appear.
A judge could allow Mr. Trump to skip some of them, but that would mean a new, untested law that requires criminal defendants to campaign to voters who will choose the next president. Only if he agrees with the claim.
Trump may ultimately choose to attend, using the incident as an opportunity to continue his campaign.