A teacher, a software engineer and a banker: These are the New Yorkers who hold Trump’s fate in their hands

A teacher, two lawyers and people working in finance are among the 12 jurors tasked with hearing the first-ever criminal trial against a US president.

A pivotal process is currently under way in Manhattan to select the group of jurors in the so-called hush money case against Donald Trump, as he faces charges of falsifying business records to conceal payments to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

During the first three days of the historic trial in a New York City courtroom, the former president snapped awake from the defence table and craned his neck to get a good view of the jury box and the pool of New Yorkers who could ultimately convict him of a crime.

Mr Trump has repeatedly tried, and failed, to move the case out of the borough, where he baselessly smeared the borough as hopelessly biased against him. And so now, he is hearing firsthand from a group of Manhattan residents who have pledged that they will be fair and impartial in hearing the case against him.

First, Manhattan residents who received notices to appear in court for jury duty that day were asked whether they can be fair and impartial, or if they have urgent obligations that would prevent them from attending court for four days a week for up to two months.

From that group, jurors were randomly selected to read their answers to a 42-question survey, covering their families and relationships, jobs, news diet, and whether they’ve ever interacted with Mr Trump’s campaign or worked for his business.

Lawyers for Mr Trump and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office then were allowed to ask those potential jurors other questions before making their requests to “strike” or remove any of them from the pool. Defence attorneys and prosecutors each had 10 chances to strike potential jurors from the panel.

By the end of the second day of jury selection on 16 April, seven New Yorkers had been selected to decide the former president’s fate.

But, on the morning of the third day on 18 April, two seated jurors were then excuses.

One, an oncology nurse, was excused after she expressed concerns about identifying information published in media outlets. A second was excused after he also “expressed annoyance” to the judge about the release of that information.

Despite the panel dwindling from seven to five, by the end of that day, all 12 jurors – and one alternate – had been selected.

The jury will ultimately be comprised of 18 people – 12 who will sit in the jury box during the trial, as well as six alternates.

Jury selection will resume on Friday to select the remaining five alternates. Neither the prosecution nor the defence have any chances left to strike jurors.

The jurors have been anonymised, and their identities are protected. They are not photographed, and they are off limits to courtroom sketch artists. During jury selection, the courtroom is limited to only a handful of pool reporters. Jurors are also not displayed on the screens in a connected courtroom where other reporters are seated to watch the proceedings on a closed-circuit livestream.

Here is what we know about the panel of jurors so far selected in this historic case:

Juror 1

A married salesman and a former waiter who lives in Harlem. He likes “outdoorsy” activities and gets his news from The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Fox News, and MSNBC. Asked whether he is familiar with the cases against the former president, he said he has heard of “some” of them.

Juror number one is also the jury foreperson, who will likely be tasked with delivering notes to the judge, or speaking on behalf of the jurors. He will also likely deliver the verdict against the former president, if one is reached.

Juror 2

A married investment banker who lives in Hell’s Kitchen and reads “basically everything”.

He follows Truth Social posts from the former president that are shared on X. He also follows Michael Cohen on the platform.

An oncology nurse was initially seated as Juror 2, but she was excused on 18 April after she had been sworn into the jury earlier in the week, telling the court that aspects of her identity had been revealed in news articles and her friends, colleagues and family members had then questioned her about her identity as a juror. She stated that she would not be able to remain fair and unbiased “and not let outside influences” impact her during the trial.

On Tuesday, before being sworn in, she had said that “nobody is above the law”. “I’m here to hear the facts, both sides,” she said.

Juror 3

A corporate lawyer from Oregon who said he gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Google, then later said he was embarrassed to admit that he doesn’t follow the news closely. He said he was “not super familiar” with the other charges against the former president.

Juror 4

A married security engineer who lives in the West Village with three children. He said he doesn’t use social media and enjoys metal- and wood-working.

An IT consultant from Puerto Rico was initially selected for the seat, but he was excused on 18 April after he “expressed annoyance” to the judge about the release of potentially identifying information. “I find him fascinating,” he had said of Mr Trump on Tuesday. “He walks into a room and he sets people off. I find that really interesting. … Certainly he makes things interesting.”

Juror 5

A lifelong New Yorker and a schoolteacher who gets her news from Google and TikTok but otherwise “doesn’t really care for the news”. She said she appreciates that Mr Trump “speaks his mind” but admitted that she didn’t know anything about his criminal cases.

Juror 6

A software engineer who lives with three roommates in Chelsea. “Trump and I probably have different beliefs but that doesn’t invalidate who he is as a person,” she said on Tuesday. “I think I can look at this as a person on trial, as any other American citizen.”

Juror 7

A married lawyer with two children who works in civil matters. He spends time outdoors, and listens to the Smartless podcast and the beloved but now off-air radio show Car Talk. He also listens to WNYC radio. “I have political views” about Mr Trump and his presidency, but “I don’t know the man,” he said on Tuesday.

“I don’t have any particular opinions about him personally,” he said.

Juror 8

A retired wealth manager who lives on the Upper East Side and enjoys flyfishing, skiing, yoga and meditation. He is married with two children and reads The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and watches CNBC and ABC

Juror 9

A speech therapist who lives on the Upper East Side. “I don’t watch any news or follow it too closely” other than email newsletters from CNN and The New York Times, she said on Thursday. She also listens to reality TV podcasts.

“I do have opinions but I do firmly believe I can be fair and impartial” about Mr Trump, she said.

Juror 10

A man who lives in Murray Hill and works for an eyewear company. “I don’t really follow the news, if anything it’s The New York Times,” he said. He also listens to podcasts on behavioural psychology.

Juror 11

A product development manager for an apparel company who lives in “upper Manhattan” and doesn’t follow much news but watches “late-night” shows and reads Google.

“I don’t have strong opinions about him but I don’t like his persona,” she said under direct questioning from attorneys for Mr Trump on Thursday.

“He just seems very selfish and self-serving so I don’t really appreciate that in any public servant,” she said. “I don’t know how he is in terms of his integrity. It’s just not my cup of tea.”

Juror 12

A married physical therapist who lives on the Upper East Side. She gets her news fromThe New York Times, CNN and USA Today.