Thread by @KlasfeldReports

Good morning from New York.

Jury selection is gearing up for Trump’s first criminal trial.

Lower Manhattan is a phalanx of metal barricades, and the largest press lines I have seen are outside the courthouse.

Follow here for the blow-by-blow throughout the proceedings.

There are all of two protesters in the park outside the courthouse, both carrying signs against Trump.

One sign says, “Convict Trump already,” on one side, and the other sign is a mock-TRUMP sign with the name replaced with “LOSER.”

No pro-Trump signs visible here, yet.

The press queues outside the courthouse for arraignment were quite long:

These seem larger, including among the two lines to get inside and the wall of cameras pointed at the facade of the building.

For those asking: Yes, I will be covering every day of the trial.

8:42 a.m. ET: "Motorcade is on the move," per pool

8:59: "motorcade is driving up," per @Ximena_Bustillo

During voir dire, the main courtroom will be filled with jurors, and so most of the press will be covering the proceedings from the overflow room, save for six pool reporters.

Jury selection is streamed to press via CCTV, on cameras fixed from four angles.

"Video and Audio Recording is Prohibited," the screen warns.

N.Y. state law doesn't allow live-streaming of court proceedings, and so reporters and sketch artists will be the link to the public to describe and show how the proceedings looked and sounded.

Just in—

Trump just sat down at the defense table, hands folded together.

For the People at the DA's table:

Susan Hoffinger, Christopher Conroy, and Joshua Steinglass.

For Trump at the defense table:

Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, Susan Necheles.

ICYMI

Catch up on the mechanics of Trump's 34 counts of falsifying business records.

How did a $130,000 payoff gross up to $420,000 in reimbursements, forming a paper trial sparking dozens of felonies?

My breakdown from last month, @Just_Security

https://x.com/rgoodlaw/status/1778769601767027106

Trump constantly claims at rallies, press conferences and social media that he's being selectively prosecuted — but his lawyers will be barred from arguing that at trial.

They've told the judge, in writing, that they won't.

Here's more on why: justsecurity.org/94560/trump-tr…

A pool reporter on Trump's walk to the defense table, outside of the CCTV camera's view:

"Trump was hunch-shouldered, but chin up, his expression stern, on his 10-second walk up the aisle of the largely empty courtroom," @Italiano_Laura

His usual courtroom expression

"All rise."

"This is the People of the State of New York vs. Donald J. Trump."

Justice Merchan announces that jury selection is ahead:

"There are a couple of loose ends that we have to go over before we can start."

He starts with the pending motion for recusal.

No ruling yet, but it's not looking good for Trump.

Trump's attorneys claimed Merchan inappropriately told The AP: "There’s no agenda here."

But Trump's counsel “does not reasonably or logically” explain why the judge's expression of impartiality would violate his rights.

The judge rehashes Trump's other arguments, including claims about his daughter.

"To say that these claims are attenuated is an understatement," Merchan adds.

Trump's renewed recusal motion is based on a "series of inferences, innuendos, and unsupported speculation," the judge says.

The judge clarified the court's schedule over the Passover holiday, explaining that he would inform jurors that the court would accommodate any religious observances.

More on that later.

One of the prosecutors expressed concern about the judge's use of the word "anti-Trump" on the jury questionnaire, describing the word as vague.

These are some of the questions.

The judge stands by the questions that he worked out on both sides.

https://x.com/TylerMcBrien/status/1779877302442050041

Over the defense's objections:

The judge ALLOWS prosecutors to show jurors evidence about Trump's arrangement with AMI's David Pecker that he would publish flattering stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents before the 2016 election.

Todd Blanche argues there isn't "probative value" to showing the jurors Karen McDougal's story.

"It's a side trial," Blanche says, adding it's one they can't do anything about.

Trump isn't charged in connection with that "catch-and-kill" scheme.

Prosecutors note that the judge already allowed that in during a pre-trial ruling.

Justice Merchan says that ruling stands — but for now, on a separate matter, he won't let prosecutors mention that Melania was pregnant at the time of the alleged affair with Daniels.

Before trial, Justice Merchan allowed prosecutors to mention the "Access Hollywood" tape to jurors — but not play it.

He DENIES the DA's bid for him to reconsider that ruling.

"I remain convinced at this moment, based on the evidence, that the tape itself should not come in."

The judge also DENIES a bid to enter Trump's deposition from the E. Jean Carroll case into evidence.

Trump defended his remarks about the "Access Hollywood" tape in that deposition.

These are all evidentiary issues that the court is hashing out before jury selection.

Assistant DA Steinglass notes that after the expansion of the gag order, Trump wrote a Truth Social post calling Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels as "two sleeze bags."

Trump posted it on Wednesday, he notes.

(Corrected tweet)

15 minute recess.

We're back, with the judge gearing up for a ruling on a pending matter.

Justice Merchan calls the admissibility of the "sleaze bag" tweet about Michael Cohen "academic."

"I imagine that there’s going to be an effort to discredit Michael Cohen," the judge deadpans, "and the moment that is done, the door is opened."

His ruling:

Prosecutors cannot share Trump's Truth Social post about Michael Cohen on direct, but it will inevitably be admissible on redirect.

Next request by ADA Steinglass:

Prosecutors want the judge to admit evidence about Michael Cohen's guilty plea for campaign finance violations under FECA.

That's one of the statutes that would elevate Trump's falsifying business records counts to felonies.

Justice Merchan notes that Trump's lawyers want to discredit Cohen with his guilty pleas to other charges — but not the campaign finance violations.

The judge appears skeptical of that attempt.

The legal issue:

The jury cannot consider Cohen's guilty plea in that case as evidence of Trump's guilt in this one, but prosecutors say that's not the purpose here.

ADA Steinglass says Cohen's plea is "probative" of his "credibility," having pleaded guilty to this offense.

The judge agrees that Cohen's plea isn't probative of Trump's guilt, but they can refer to it if they lay the proper foundation.

The judge asks the attorneys on both sides to draft a limiting instruction to jurors, informing them that they cannot infer Trump's guilt based on Michael Cohen's guilty plea.

Trump's lawyers complain about the judge's order that they get permission before filing any more pre-trial motions.

Justice Merchan explains why he did that.

"We were being absolutely inundated with motions, many of which, frankly, were close to frivolous if not frivolous."

After reminding the attorneys, "We have about 500 jurors waiting," the judge pivots to voir dire.

Lead defense attorney Todd Blanche:

"President Trump wants to be present at everything."

Blanche clarifies that this includes sidebar conferences during voir dire and trial.

Justice Merchan notes that could present logistical issues involving Secret Service.

Justice Merchan recites Parker warnings, describing the ways in which Trump could forfeit his right to be present:

* if he's disruptive
* if he fails to attend trial

The DA's office asks the judge for an order to show cause for contempt of the gag order, forcing Trump to "take down the offending" posts and to remind him that "further violations of the order could result in jail time."

He also seeks a $3,000 fine: $1,000 each, for 3 posts.

(Corrected a significant typo in the prior tweet and clarified the phrasing.)

Lunch recess.

We're back at 1:30 p.m. ET.

We're back for the afternoon session.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche asks about obtaining jury identities.

Justice Merchan says he will hand the parties two lists: one with the jurors' numbers, another with the jurors' names.

The latter list isn't to be photographed or shared, he orders.

The list with the names will be returned to the court.

The press and public will not have access to that list, per the terms of the judge's earlier order. nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/pre…

The current pause in the proceedings is the transition to jury selection, and the potential jurors started going through security around 2:05 p.m., per pool reporter @ximena_bustillo

Justice Merchan hands the two lists — one with juror numbers, and another with juror names — to attorneys for the parties.

They bring it with them to their respective tables, and the CCTV feeds are disabled in the overflow room.

The CCTV comes back on, as the potential jurors are sworn in and the selection process kicks off.

Colorful pool dispatch via @FrankRunyeon:

"Jurors are being seated next to Trump aides Jason Miller and Margo Martin," he notes, describing their "nonstop" cell phone use.

During E. Jean Carroll's trial, a Trump spox was booted from court after his phone went off.

Justice Merchan tells jurors that trial is expected to last roughly six weeks, though he emphasizes that's just an estimate.

Though the jurors are out of view of most of the press, pool reporter @MikeSisak says: "It's a diverse cross-section of Manhattanites."

Before proceedings began, Justice Merchan said he would immediately excuse jurors who said they couldn't be fair.

Candidates self-identifying in this way are being excused right now.

Wow.

"More than half of prospective jurors in the first panel of 96 people have been excused after saying they could not be fair and impartial. At least 50 were let go for that reason"

— per @GrahamKates in the press pool

@GrahamKates The CCTV feed remains disabled, meaning the handful of pool reporters are the only ones to observe the scale of the dismissals.

@GrahamKates Per pool:

"At least nine more prospective jurors were excused after raising their hand when Judge Merchan asked if they could not serve for any other reason. Those reasons were not disclosed. That leaves ~34 jurors of the 96 who entered court in the initial panel."

We're now going one by one through the remainder, as a juror recites yes-and-no answers to the questionnaire.

The NYT's @MaggieNYT provides this bit of courtroom color from voir dire, as a juror answers "yes" and "no" to questions by number:

"Trump is reading along with her as she answers, with his own copy."

He also does so with the subsequent potential juror.

A potential juror, a Harlem resident who now works for a luxury department store, snickers as she says her previous employer was "a performance job."

She answers "yes" to the below question.

The lawyers take a brief sidebar to question her further, before she is excused.

Per pool:

"A prospective juror leaving the courtroom was heard in the hallway saying, 'I just couldn't do it.'"

The current potential juror says she follows Trump on social media, but otherwise doesn't attend his rallies, sign up for his mailings, or have family on his campaign.

She answers yes to the question about whether she has opinions on the legal limits of campaign contributions.

Afternoon recess.

We're back.

Justice Merchan confirms that he intends to break at 4:30 p.m. ET, as scheduled, no matter where they are in voir dire.

We are adjourned for the day.

Jury selection will continue at 9:30 a.m. ET, "sharp."

I'll talk more about today's proceedings tonight on @MSNBC's @TheLastWord with @Lawrence.

Tune in throughout the trial!

Catch up with written dispatches @Just_Security, and bookmark this space. justsecurity.org/daily-courtroo…

After the jury leaves the courtroom, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche asks whether the former president can be excused whenever the jury has a day off in order to attend campaign events.

Justice Merchan says proceedings are already "way behind schedule," and unless things speed up, they may have to sit on Wednesdays, when trial is currently dark.