Trump arrives at court for the start of jury selection in his historic hush money trial

NEW YORK -- Donald Trump arrived Monday astatine a New York tribunal for the commencement of assemblage enactment successful his hush wealth trial, marking a singular infinitesimal successful U.S. history.

It's the archetypal transgression proceedings of immoderate erstwhile U.S. commander-in-chief and the archetypal of Trump's 4 indictments to spell to trial. Because helium is besides the presumptive nominee for this year's Republican ticket, the proceedings volition nutrient the head-spinning split-screen of a statesmanlike campaigner spending his days successful tribunal and, helium has said, "campaigning during the night."

There could beryllium immoderate ineligible arguments and housekeeping earlier assemblage enactment begins. When it does, scores of radical are owed to beryllium called into the courtroom to commencement the process of uncovering 12 jurors, positive six alternates.

Judge Juan M. Merchan has written that the cardinal is "whether the prospective juror tin guarantee america that they volition acceptable speech immoderate idiosyncratic feelings oregon biases and render a determination that is based connected the grounds and the law."

Trump has pleaded not blameworthy to 34 felony counts of falsifying concern records.

Prosecutors accidental helium was trying to conceal an alleged effort to support salacious - and, helium says, bogus - stories astir his enactment beingness from emerging during his 2016 campaign.

The charges halfway connected $130,000 successful payments that Trump's institution made to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen. He had paid that sum connected Trump's behalf to support porn histrion Stormy Daniels from going public, a period earlier the election, with her claims of a intersexual brushwood with the joined mogul a decennary earlier.

Prosecutors accidental the payments to Cohen were falsely logged arsenic ineligible fees successful bid to cloak their existent purpose. Trump's lawyers accidental the disbursements so were ineligible expenses, not a cover-up.

Trump himself casts the case, and his different indictments elsewhere, arsenic a wide "weaponization of instrumentality enforcement" by Democratic prosecutors and officials. He maintains they are orchestrating sham charges successful hopes of impeding his statesmanlike run.

After decades of fielding and initiating lawsuits, the businessman-turned-politician present faces a proceedings that could effect successful up to 4 years successful situation if he's convicted, though a no-jail condemnation besides would beryllium possible.

Regardless of the eventual outcome, the proceedings of an ex-president and existent campaigner is simply a infinitesimal of bonzer gravity for the American governmental system, arsenic good arsenic for Trump himself. Such a script would person erstwhile seemed unthinkable to galore Americans, adjacent for a president whose tenure near a way of shattered norms, including doubly being impeached and acquitted by the Senate.

The country wrong the courtroom whitethorn beryllium greeted with a spectacle outside. When Trump was arraigned past year, constabulary broke up tiny skirmishes betwixt his supporters and protesters adjacent the courthouse successful a tiny park, wherever a section Republican radical has planned a pro-Trump rally Monday.

Trump's attorneys mislaid a bid to get the hush wealth lawsuit dismissed and person since repeatedly sought to hold it, prompting a flurry of last-minute appeals tribunal hearings past week.

Among different things, Trump's lawyers support that the assemblage excavation successful overwhelmingly Democratic Manhattan has been tainted by antagonistic publicity astir Trump and that the lawsuit should beryllium moved elsewhere.

An appeals justice turned down an exigency petition to hold the proceedings portion the change-of-venue petition goes to a radical of appellate judges, who are acceptable to see it successful the coming weeks.

Manhattan prosecutors person countered that a batch of the publicity stems from Trump's ain comments and that questioning volition tease retired whether prospective jurors tin enactment speech immoderate preconceptions they whitethorn have. There's nary reason, prosecutors said, to deliberation that 12 just and impartial radical can't beryllium recovered amid Manhattan's astir 1.4 cardinal big residents.

The process of choosing those 12, positive six alternates, volition statesman with scores of radical filing into Merchan's courtroom. They volition beryllium known lone by number, arsenic helium has ordered their names to beryllium kept concealed from everyone but prosecutors, Trump and their ineligible teams.

After proceeding immoderate basics astir the lawsuit and assemblage service, the prospective jurors volition beryllium asked to rise hands if they judge they cannot service oregon beryllium just and impartial. Those who bash truthful volition beryllium excused, according to Merchan's filing past week.

The remainder volition beryllium eligible for questioning. The 42 preapproved, sometimes multi-pronged queries see inheritance basics but besides bespeak the uniqueness of the case.

"Do you person immoderate beardown opinions oregon firmly held beliefs astir erstwhile President Donald Trump, oregon the information that helium is simply a existent campaigner for president, that would interfere with your quality to beryllium a just and impartial juror?" asks 1 question.

Others inquire astir attendance astatine Trump oregon anti-Trump rallies, opinions connected however he's being treated successful the case, quality sources and much - including immoderate "political, moral, intellectual, oregon spiritual beliefs oregon opinions" that mightiness "slant" a prospective juror's attack to the case.

Based connected the answers, the attorneys tin inquire a justice to destruct radical "for cause" if they conscionable definite criteria for being incapable to service oregon beryllium unbiased. The lawyers besides tin usage "peremptory challenges" to nix 10 imaginable jurors and 2 prospective alternates without giving a reason.

"If you're going to onslaught everybody who's either a Republican oregon a Democrat," the justice observed astatine a February hearing, "you're going to tally retired of peremptory challenges precise quickly."