The search for an impartial jury in Trump's hush money case resumes

Former President Donald Trump is back in a New York City courtroom on Thursday as jury selection is still underway for his criminal trial.

An 18-person anonymous jury selection is expected to take several days and the trial is expected to last about six weeks — even as Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, campaigns to be president once again.

Trump faces 34 felony counts alleging that he falsified New York business records in order to conceal damaging information to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump himself is also making claims about election interference — though he is concerned about his own current 2024 bid. Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom earlier in the week, Trump lamented that he is unable to make campaign stops in other states because New York law requires him to be present for his criminal trial, which takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Still, his campaign remains active. On Tuesday night, Trump visited a bodega in Harlem to tout support from the Bodega and Small Business Group, which represents New York's small convenience stores known as bodegas. He is also expected to show up at a rally in Wilmington, N.C. on Saturday night.

Selecting a fair and impartial jury takes time

Jury selection began Monday — and from the start 50 of 96 jurors were dismissed when asked if they believed they could be "fair and impartial." They could not. Out of the second batch of 96, 40 were excused.

But that first question has continued to dismiss jurors. On Tuesday, one prospective juror told New York Judge Juan Merchan that after struggling to sleep overnight and thinking about it, she concluded she could not be fair and impartial. She was dismissed.

On Thursday, the third day