A full 12-person jury has been sworn in for ex-US President Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in New York City.

“We have our jury,” Justice Juan Merchan declared after seven men and five women were selected for the panel. Two jurors had to be excused earlier.

Some thought jury selection might take weeks, but things moved quickly after Mr Trump’s team ran out of challenges.

The court could hear opening arguments as soon as Monday.

The trial, the first ever in which a former US president is the defendant, stems from a hush-money payment to a porn star.

    • CodingCarpenter@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      That’s what the backups are for. You can have a hung jury but the others can boot one person out. It’s happened on a jury my wife was on and then they just brought in the backup and continued as normal

      • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Yeah, even once deliberation starts if it’s clear you’re just in there not deliberating in good faith they’ll tell the judge and they can boot you and assign an alternate.

      • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        No shit? I didn’t know they could do that. I thought backups were only for if someone got sick or something.

    • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      Might be more than one in there. They ask you all sorts of questions to see if you would be biased, most people would be truthful but there’s a certain type of person who doesn’t have any qualms about lying and it’s the same type that reevers the defendant here.

    • pelya@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      They were supposed to select jurors based of no allegiance to the defendant.