A full 12-person jury has been sworn in for ex-US President Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in New York City.

“We have our jury,” Justice Juan Merchan declared after seven men and five women were selected for the panel. Two jurors had to be excused earlier.

Some thought jury selection might take weeks, but things moved quickly after Mr Trump’s team ran out of challenges.

The court could hear opening arguments as soon as Monday.

The trial, the first ever in which a former US president is the defendant, stems from a hush-money payment to a porn star.

  • CodingCarpenter@lemm.ee
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    7 months ago

    That’s what the backups are for. You can have a hung jury but the others can boot one person out. It’s happened on a jury my wife was on and then they just brought in the backup and continued as normal

    • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Yeah, even once deliberation starts if it’s clear you’re just in there not deliberating in good faith they’ll tell the judge and they can boot you and assign an alternate.

    • jballs
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      7 months ago

      No shit? I didn’t know they could do that. I thought backups were only for if someone got sick or something.