Why have some potential jurors been sent home in the Donald Trump trial on grounds of impartiality?

Last year, former president Donald Trump was indicted on over thirty counts related to campaign finance violations over an alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, alleges that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, made payment to Clifford using campaign funds, which is a violation of federal law.

The payment is thought to have been made to keep Ms. Clifford quiet during the 2016 election to increase Donald Trump’s electoral chances. Deadline has reported that Mr. Cohen and Ms. Clifford will testify during the trial, and they could provide very damaging evidence that would be difficult for the jury to ignore. The trial is set to get underway this month, but after the first day of jury selection, the task of finding twelve impartial spectators is showing itself to be quite difficult.

The challenges in putting together a jury

The task for the legal teams is challenging and has never been seen in US history. Donald Trump is entitled to a fair trial, but as a former president, putting together a group of twelve people who feel they can be impartial is next to impossible because of his stature as a polarizing public figure.

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As jury selection began, the citizens summoned were asked if they could be impartial, and dozens left of their own volition. BBC reported that one woman even said as much as she exited the courtroom, saying, “I just couldn’t do it.” The jurors were then asked a series of questions related to their media habits and political perspectives, with various potential jurors being released over concerns that they would not be able to be impartial. One of the challenges in putting the jury together is that its members have to live in the area, meaning there are geographical limits to who can be summoned. Of that population, favorability for the former president is low.