How A New York Judge Is Trying To Ensure Trump Gets A Fair Jury

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump alleges there is no way he can get a fair trial in New York City, the liberal hometown he turned his back on five years ago in favor of a conservative enclave in sun-soaked South Florida. He faces 34 felony counts in Manhattan for allegedly falsifying business records related to a hush money payment dating back to his 2016 campaign.

The stakes are high: A guilty verdict in this historic trial could result in prison time for Trump.

His fate will rest in the hands of 12 Manhattanites — seven of whom have been selected so far in a time-consuming process.

Trump has been framing the situation as inherently biased against him. “There is NO WAY I can be given a Fair (Biden) Trial on Monday with Judge Juan Merchan, who is totally conflicted and corrupt, presiding,” Trump wrote on Truth Social the day before jury selection started.

But Merchan has been scrupulously transparent and has accommodated the one-of-a-kind defendant sitting in his courtroom with Secret Service protection in addition to his coterie of lawyers.

On Tuesday, the process led to scenes most people would probably find absurd: A single potential juror being led alone into the courtroom to face a former president, a judge, a bunch of attorneys and some members of the press to explain a Facebook post from four-plus years ago. That same type of individual grilling happened several times, a sign that the process in this high-profile trial is, by necessity, more rigorous than usual.

Ultimately, the panel will consist of 12 jurors and six alternates. But the pool of potential jurors for Trump’s trial numbers in the hundreds. Batches