Seven men and five women, all residents of Manhattan, will decide the fate of former President Donald Trump in the secret money trial in New York City that will officially begin this Monday with opening statements.
It was a challenge to find twelve regular jurors and six alternates who could be impartial and objective in Manhattan, one of the most Democratic areas of New York and the entire country.
To this end, Judge Juan Merchán, the prosecutors and the defense prepared a series of questions during the jury selection process to determine whether or not the candidates could be impartial, including opinions about the former president, news consumption habits, hobbies and professions.
Ultimately, the judge, prosecutors, and Trump's lawyers assembled a fairly diverse jury with lawyers, professors, bankers, engineers and candidates with unfavorable and favorable opinions about the former president.
These are the key data of the twelve jurors, revealed by The Wall Street Journal.
Juror 1: knows about Trump's other criminal cases
The first jury selected is a man dedicated to sales and originally from Ireland.
The jury revealed that he informs himself by reading or tuning into The New York Times, Fox News and MSNBC.
As a well-informed man, he revealed to the judge, the defense and prosecutors that he had heard about the former president's other criminal cases but that this fact will not influence his impartiality in the case in question.
Juror 2: believes that Trump did good things for the country
The second selected jury is an investment banker whose hobbies are hiking, music and concerts.
According to the WSJ, this banker reflected that, although he does not like some of Trump's policies, he believes he did good things for the country.
He also revealed that he reads everything that appears in the press and, above all, follows relevant people in the case, such as Michael Cohen or Trump, who can directly affect the markets through their messages on social media.
Juror 3: one of the lawyers in the case
Something curious about this case is that both the Prosecutor's Office and the defense admitted two lawyers, something not so common when forming juries.
Juror number three is a man originally from Oregon who stated that he reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times for information.
During interrogations, this lawyer stated: "I don't think I need to read someone's mind to determine their intent or at least make a good guess as to it."
Juror 4: no strong feelings towards Trump
This security engineer, who has more than 25 years of experience in the field, was highlighted because he stated that he does not have strong feelings toward the former president and remains distant from the news.
Juror 5: slight admiration for Trump's attitude
Juror Five was one of the first women selected and stood out for stating that, in her opinion, "President Trump speaks his mind. I would rather that in a person than someone who's in office and you don't know what they're doing behind the scenes."
She is a school teacher and a native of New York. She gets information through Google and TikTok because she doesn't like news or newspapers.
Likewise, she stated that her favorite pastime is taking photos with her friends in her free time.
Juror 6: ideological disparity with Trump
Just as juror five said she liked some of Trump's attitudes, juror six specifically said that she does not share political ideals with the former president, but that should not impede her impartiality about the case.
She is a software engineer and a New Yorker by birth. She reads the NYT and likes to stay informed through TikTok and Facebook.
Juror 7: the other lawyer in the case
This second lawyer, originally from North Carolina, shares information habits with the first lawyer: NYT and WSJ.
However, unlike the first, he stated that he has different political opinions than Trump, although he clarified that he has no opinion towards the former president.
Juror 8: retired from politics
The eighth juror is an older man who worked in wealth management and has hobbies ranging from fishing to yoga.
He stated that he is not very aware of politics and that he reads the news through the BBC and CNBC, among other media.
Juror 9: against Trump
The ninth juror is a speech therapist originally from New Jersey who said during the interview: "I do not agree with a lot of his politics and his decisions as president, but…I could leave that at the door and be a totally impartial juror."
Juror 10: no opinions on Trump
The tenth juror, originally from Ohio, works with an e-commerce company and stated that they have no opinion about the former president and rarely read news except occasionally when he opens the NYT portal.
Juror 11: Trump's biggest critic at the table?
This woman from California stood out for stating during the interview that she does not like former President Trump.
"How he is in public and how he himself portrays himself in public…it is not my cup of tea," she said, after confirming that she consumes the nightly news.
Juror 12: knows nothing about the case
Juror twelve, the last of the starters, stood out for saying that she would not have any information about the case until she received it when it was already on the table.
She is a physical therapist, listens to channels like CNN for information, and is passionate about sports and religious podcasts.
