Why is the Trump trial jury anonymous? The brief and imperfect history of anonymous juries in the US

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

While former President Donald Trump is spinning conspiracy theories about people infiltrating the jury in his hush money criminal trial, the judge in the case is finding it difficult to protect jurors’ anonymity.

Anonymity for juries like the one being formed to hear charges in New York against Trump is supposed to add a layer of protection for jurors doing their civic duty. Once reserved only for cases involving violent criminal enterprises, the practice is becoming more common. It’s usually employed for high-profile cases but also at will by judges in some states. Rules vary.

RELATED: Full 12-person jury set for Trump trial after Thursday proceedings. Alternates still needed.

The concept of anonymous juries is still relatively new; the first in US history was empaneled in New York in 1977 for the trial of Leroy “Nicky” Barnes, a drug kingpin known as Mr. Untouchable, according to The New York Times. Barnes, famous for avoiding conviction, caught the attention of then-President Jimmy Carter, who told the Justice Department to take special care with the case, which yielded a guilty verdict.

Even the lawyers in that case weren’t permitted to know the identities of the jurors, a step further than the precautions in place for the Trump trial in New York. Both prosecutors and Trump’s defense have been poring over the social media profiles and pasts of potential jurors in Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom.

Merchan issued an order in March agreeing with prosecutors that most information about the jurors would be sealed. Trump’s lawyers did not disagree, according to the order.

A separate