"Do you listen to or watch podcasts? If so, which ones?"
"Do you listen to talk radio? If so, which programs?"
"Do you currently follow Donald Trump on any social media site or have you done so in the past?"
Potential jurors will face a quiz like none other while being considered for a seat at the first criminal trial of a former president in U.S. history.
"Have you ever considered yourself a supporter of or belonged to any of the following:
- the QAnon movement
- Proud Boys
- Oathkeepers
- Three Percenters
- Boogaloo Boys
- Antifa
More than 500 Manhattanites have been sent notices to appear April 15 at the borough's criminal court, where prosecutors and lawyers for Trump will try to select 12, plus a few alternates, who can set aside their opinions about one of the world's most famous and divisive people.
Trump has entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in the case, which stems from alleged efforts to hide "hush money" payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He has accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing the case for political gain.
During the trial, he and his lawyers will not be able to claim that the allegations are false. The judge will require them to focus on whether the allegations are true or false, and whether Trump broke the law.
According to a court filing made public Monday, here is how the judge will describe the case to jurors:
"The allegations are in substance, that Donald Trump falsified business records to conceal an agreement with others to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election. Specifically, it is alleged that Donald Trump made or caused false business records to hide the true nature of payments made to Michael Cohen, by characterizing them as payment for legal services rendered pursuant to a retainer agreement. The People allege that in fact, the payments were intended to reimburse Michael Cohen for money he paid to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, in the weeks before the presidential election to prevent her from publicly revealing details about a past sexual encounter with Donald Trump."
Potential jurors will receive a questionnaire with 42 questions, covering various topics from general information ("What do you do for a living?" "Have you ever served on a jury before?") to more specific inquiries ("Have you ever attended a rally or campaign event for any anti-Trump group or organization?").
As the jury selection process for the trial of former President Donald Trump continues, prosecutors have put forth questions aimed at understanding potential jurors' political beliefs. However, some of these questions were rejected by Judge Juan Merchan. One such question that was proposed by prosecutors but ultimately scrapped was whether potential jurors believed Trump's false claim that he won the 2020 election.
Trump's legal team objected to this question, "Do you believe the 2020 election was stolen?" and it has not been included in the questionnaire that was made public on Monday.
The jury selection process, which is expected to be lengthy and meticulous, will involve individualized questioning of many potential jurors by both Trump's lawyers and the prosecutors.
Before the individualized questioning begins, all potential jurors will first respond to a set of standard questions.
