by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
LITERARY COURTHOUSE, April 15 – The first day of the first Trump criminal trial had TV trucks lined up along Centre Street in lower Manhattan, and journalists in two lines in Collect Pond Park waiting to get in.
Beyond them a woman screamed, You all are the criminals! A man in the park held a sign, Free TikTok, with an antisemitic variant on the backside of the sign.
There were journalists and others said to be pre-approved, then journalists with Office of Court Administration hard passes, then just-plain NYC journalists, and finally, the public.
One man said he was on vacation in New York and came to see. His next stop, he said, would be the Statue of Liberty.
Upstairs it was standing room only. Justice Juan Merchan began with rulings, most of them against Trump, including on Todd Blanche's motion that Merchan recuse himself before his daughter is a paid campaign consultant to, among others, Adam Schiff. Merchan said it was irrelevant; motion denied.
When finally prospective jurors were brought in, their names were not given. But the 11 prospects who answered the questionnaire gave identifying details.
A man who used to work at Shakespeare & Company. Then there was the woman who got excluded for cause, who watches Al Jazeera, unwinds in the club and answered Yes to question 34:
"34. Do you have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about former President Donald Trump, or the fact that he is a current candidate for president that would interfere with your ability to be a fair and impartial juror?"
Surviving the cut, at least for now, was a woman who works in social media at FanDuel. Some said these details shouldn't be reported. But this was open court.
More on X for Subscribers here and Substack here
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