Two seated jurors are struck from Trump hush money trial as court struggles to find impartial New Yorkers

Two of the jurors who were initially selected to hear Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial in New York were suddenly dismissed on Thursday after issues arose.

As court proceedings resumed, juror number two raised concerns that personal details disclosed in her jury questionnaire could be used to identify her and that these concerns might impact her ability to be impartial. Meanwhile, juror number four showed up late to jury selection and raised similar concerns to juror number two.

Both were dismissed by Judge Juan Merchan.

Juror number two, an oncology nurse from New York who was sworn in during jury selection on Tuesday, told Judge Juan Merchan on Thursday morning that her friends, family and colleagues had since sent her news articles that included details about her life – leading them to question if she was one of the jurors in the trial

“I don’t believe at this point I can be fair and unbiased,” she told Judge Merchan.

Several questions on thejury questionnaire ask prospective panellists about their jobs including naming their current and former employer. Additionally, some news outlets reported on the physical appearance of jurors or details about their accents.

As soon as the juror left the courtroom, Judge Merchan asked the media to cease reporting specific details about jurors that could allow them to be identified by their peers. This included redacting answers from the questions asking specifics about their employment.

Judge Merchan told the media that “it kind of defeats the purpose” of having an anonymous jury when they report specific details about people.

Juror number four, who previously told the court he thought Mr Trump was “fascinating”, failed to show up to jury selection before its start time