In a historic turn of events, the first criminal trial against a former president in U.S. history is set to commence on March 25, as ruled by Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan. The trial will proceed with jury selection, denying former President Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss the charges brought against him by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The case revolves around the circumstances surrounding a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
On March 30, 2023, a grand jury indicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsification of business records. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Throughout the proceedings, he has accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing the case for political gain.
During a pretrial hearing attended by Trump, he expressed his concerns about the trial’s impact on his election campaign, stating that it represented a “great double standard” and “election interference.” Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, immediately protested the judge’s decision to proceed to trial, arguing that the compressed and expedited schedules placed an unfair burden on the defense.
Judge Merchan, who had previously set a preliminary trial date of March 25, assured Blanche that Trump would not be involved in more than one criminal trial simultaneously. He also mentioned discussing the timing of the trial with U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will oversee Trump’s federal prosecution in Washington, D.C., pending a Supreme Court decision on his immunity claim.
As the hearing progressed, Blanche and prosecutor Joshua Steinglass debated the questions that would be posed to potential jurors during the selection process. The questions primarily focused on the news outlets they consumed and their affiliations with fringe groups such as antifa or the Proud Boys. Some questions were borrowed from the jury selection process in the defamation trial against Trump brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Blanche argued that the jurors’ opinion of President Trump was crucial, given the political nature of the case. Steinglass, however, emphasized the importance of impartiality and fairness, stating that they were not interested in whether potential jurors liked or disliked Trump.
Trump’s legal troubles have multiplied since the last hearing, with additional criminal proceedings in Washington, D.C., Florida, and Georgia. Despite the conflicting court dates, Trump chose to attend the New York hearing instead of the one in Georgia, where allegations of financial impropriety involving District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade were being heard.
The charges against Trump in the New York case stem from his alleged involvement in a scheme to falsify records to conceal payments made to his former lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen. Prosecutors claim that these payments were reimbursements for hush money given to Stormy Daniels, who had alleged an affair with Trump before the 2016 election. Trump’s defense maintains that the payments were legitimate reimbursements for legal expenses.
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history has begun. The trial is against former President Donald Trump, who is being charged with incitement of insurrection for his role in the Capitol riots that took place on January 6th, 2021. This trial is significant as it sets a precedent for holding presidents accountable for their actions even after leaving office.
The post highlights the significance of this trial as it marks the first time a former president is facing criminal charges. It emphasizes the gravity of the charges against Trump, as incit