The prosecution and defense must always ensure that the jury is not biased. There is a lot at stake – including in the Trump trial.
New York – The jury in the historic US criminal trial in New York has been decided. Jury selection in the trial against Donald Trump over the alleged cover-up of a hush money payment went faster than many expected. Possible “stealth jurors” are now causing concern.
What is meant by “stealth juror”? German has no equivalent because the legal systems differ. A literal translation would be “secret juror or juror.” This is because the intentions of the jury are “hidden”: they claim neutrality but do not keep it.
Trump trial in New York: focus on jury attitudes
This can jeopardize a process. The jury selection process is therefore strict. The hundreds of citizens invited as potential jurors for the Trump trial were questioned in detail, including about their media consumption and their attitude towards Trump. They should remain anonymous to protect them from possible bribery attempts or even violence.
And here several observers expressed doubts. For example, an employee of “Trial Behavior Consulting”, a consulting firm for correct behavior in court proceedings. “Without a doubt,” there could be biased members on the jury, employee Steve Duffy told the
Independent.
And now, in his opinion, both sides would “undoubtedly” conduct intensive research to locate them.
Expert on the Trump trial: jury selection is delicate
Duffy explained that prosecutors wanted to exclude possible Trump supporters, while Trump's defense attorneys tried to "get rid of" anyone who might be "left-leaning." In addition to social media posts, the lawyers also take into account criminal convictions or publicly available information about political donations when making their selection.
“The quicker the jury selection process is, the harder it is to carry it out comprehensively,” Duffy told
The Independent
. And “certainly” a single, biased juror could “derail” the entire process, he added.
Trump trial: doubts about potential jurors – dismissal
On Thursday (April 18th) jury selection was temporarily stalled. Of the seven jurors selected on the previous days, two were excluded. A single woman was fired after she raised concerns her identity had been revealed.
The judge dismissed another juror after doubts arose about whether he had told the complete truth during his questioning. A few hours later the jury was complete.
Are Trump supporters hoping for a biased jury in the trial?
New York lawyer Colleen Kerwick also expressed concern. She assumes that Trump supporters will hide their true intentions in the selection process and not reveal their political beliefs, she told
Newsweek
.
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote that some Trump supporters were already openly hoping for a “stealth juror” to be selected. On her law blog
Civil Discourse
on Wednesday, Vance reported on a pro-Trump movement that is pushing to overturn court rulings.
Newsweek
noted this
, quoting from the piece: "Yes, that is an inherent risk that prosecutors face in our system - that a juror with a hidden agenda could lie to get a seat on the jury."
(frs)