Here's what we know about 12 jurors, 6 alternates seated in Trump's hush money criminal trial
NEW YORK -- The commencement of opening statements in Donald Trump's hush money trial sets the stage for weeks of testimony about his personal life and places his legal troubles at the center of his closely contested campaign against President Joe Biden.
The former president is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. It's the first of Trump's four indictments to go to trial and the first criminal trial against a former U.S. president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.
A panel of New Yorkers - 12 jurors and six alternates - was sworn in last Friday after four days of jury selection and is hearing what is the first-ever criminal trial against a former U.S. commander-in-chief.
Here's what we know about the jurors who have been seated:
Juror 1 - B400 - Male
Juror No. 1, the foreperson, is a middle-aged salesman who immigrated to the United States from Ireland.
He lives in West Harlem and said he normally gets his news from the New York Times, Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC.
In his spare time, he said he enjoys doing "anything outdoorsy."
Juror 2 - B565 - Male
Juror No. 2 has an MBA and works for an investment bank.
He said he follows Trump and Michael Cohen on Truth Social.
The juror added that he'd lost an uncle due to a crime.
When asked if he could keep an open mind, he said, "I'd have to wait to hear everything and see if it's compelling or not."
He lives in Midtown with his wife and enjoys hiking, music, and concerts.
Juror 3 - B381 - Male
Juror No. 3 is a corporate attorney who moved to New York from Oregon five years ago.
He has worked at two major white-shoe law firms in New York. He said he normally gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Google.
In his spare time, he said he enjoys hiking and running.
When asked about the case, he was embarrassed to admit she was not very familiar with the allegations against the former president.
"I am actually not super familiar with the other charge," he said. "I don't really follow the news that closely, a little embarrassing to say."
Juror 4 - B470 - Male
Juror No. 4 has liven New York for more than a decade and works as a security engineer. He once served in a grand jury and a criminal trial jury. He is originally from California and listed his hobbies as his "children," metal working, and carpentry.
He said he could "absolutely" be fair in the case and would not have any concerns about returning a guilty verdict.
He is not on social media and receives his news from a spattering of news outlets.
Juror 5 - B374 - Female
Juror No. 5 was the only potential juror who raised her hand when lawyers asked if they had ever heard of Trump's other criminal cases.
A lifelong New Yorker, she currently works as an ELA teacher in a charter school and lives in Harlem.
She normally gets her news from Google and TikTok but said that she "doesn't really care for the news."
In her spare time, she enjoys writing and theater.
Juror 6 - B297 - Female
Juror No. 6 is a software engineer who works for the Walt Disney Company, which is the parent company of ABC News and this station.
She grew up in New York City and lives in Chelsea with three roommates.
She said she gets her news from The New York Times and TikTok.
In her spare time, she said she enjoys plays, restaurants, dancing, and watching TV.
Juror 7 - B269 Male
Juror No. 7 is the second white-shoe lawyer to serve on Trump's jury.
He currently lives on the Upper East Side and enjoys spending time outdoors and with his children.
He gets his news from the New York Times, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Juror 8 - B639 (Male)
Juror No. 8 is a former wealth manager who moved from Lebanon to New York in the 1980s.
His hobbies include fly fishing, skiing, meditation and yoga.
He said he gets his news from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, and CNBC.
When he paused to answer one of the questions related to having strongly held opinions about Trump, Judge Juan Merchan followed up, asking, "Do you have any opinions or beliefs that would prevent you from being impartial?
The juror responded, "No."
Juror 9 -B423 - female
Juror No. 9 is a speech therapist who grew up in New Jersey and lives on the Upper East Side.
She said she generally doesn't follow the news. And while she has opinions about Trump, she said she could set those aside.
"I fully believe that I can follow the judge's instructions," the juror said when asked about her ability to apply common sense to the case.
Asked by Trump's attorney Susan Necheles if she had any opinions about Trump, she said, "He was our president, everyone knows who he is."
She went on to say, "I tend to not agree with a lot of his politics and his decisions as a president."
Juror 10 - B789 - male
Juror No. 10 has worked in commerce for a major eyewear company for the last eight years.
Originally from Ohio, he's lived in Murray Hill for six years.
In his spare time, he likes the outdoors and enjoys animals.
He is not married and lives with another adult, who is an accountant.
Juror 11 - B500 - female
Juror No. 11 is a native Californian but has called New York home for the past 15 years. She is a product development manager for a multinational apparel company and in her spare time she enjoys exploring New York.
She disclosed that a close friend of hers was convicted of financial fraud and when asked where she gets her information, she said, "I don't really follow the news."
When asked her feelings about Trump, the juror said, "I don't have strong opinions, but I don't like his persona, how he presents himself in public."
She went on to say, "I don't like some of my coworkers but I don't try to sabotage their work," drawing an outburst of laughter from the jury box.
Justice Merchan then asked if she could repeat herself for the record.
"I don't like some of my coworkers," she said, drawing more laughter, repeating the sentiment.
"He seems very selfish and self serving," she said more earnestly. "I don't really appreciate that from any public servant. (The way he) portrays himself in public, it's not my cup of tea."
"It sounds a bit like what you're saying is you don't like him, based on what you're saying," defense attorney Susan Necheles said.
"Yes," the juror answered.
Juror 12 - B440 - female
Juror No. 12 is a physical therapist who lives on the Upper East Side. She has previously lived in Minnesota and the Carolinas.
This juror gets her news from the New York Times, USA Today and CNN, and she enjoys podcasts about sports and faith.
Her husband works for a professional sports team.
In her free time, she enjoys running, playing tennis, and paddle boarding with her husband and dog.
Alternate 1
Alternate No. 1 grew up in England and attended school in North Carolina.
They currently work as an analyst for an asset manager.
Alternate 2 - female
Alternate No. 2 is originally from Spain and said she has no strong opinions about former President Trump.
The juror said she is not on social media and doesn't watch the news, besides skimming through headlines.
Alternate 3 - male
Alternate juror No. 3 is an audio professional who offered to assist Judge Merchan with a microphone that kept cutting out. He expressed his opinion that, "Donald Trump is a man, just like I am."
Alternate 4 - female
Alternate juror No. 4 is a woman who said, "I have no really strong opinions about President Trump."
Alternate 5 - female
Alternate juror No. 5 is originally from Texas and has spent four years in New York. She works in creative operations for a clothing company and enjoys concerts, restaurants and music.
Alternate 6
Alternate Juror No. 6 lives on the Upper East Side and is a project manager for a construction company and a mother of three children who "does whatever my kids want me to do in my spare time."
Her father was convicted of a federal crime when she was in high school. She said she was "shielded" from the details at the time.
Disney is the parent company of this station.
The Associated Press and ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Lucien Bruggeman contributed to this report.
