The juror said her family and friends had questioned her about whether or not she was a juror based on media reports.
A juror who was seated on the jury for former President Donald Trump in the Manhattan “Hush-Money” Trial earlier this week was excused on Thursday, saying she had concerns about her ability to be fair and impartial and had concerns about her identity being made public.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan called attorneys up to confer shortly after taking the bench on Thursday, April 18, saying that the woman also known as “Juror 2” had slept on the decision overnight and informed the court she wished to be dismissed.
She was sworn in earlier in the week with six others, including one alternate, on the second day of the trial.
She was brought into the room and said after thinking about it, she has friends, colleagues, and family that “push things” and outside influences that would likely affect her impartiality. She added that she had been identified as a juror from news reports.
The juror, an oncology nurse, said her family and friends had questioned her about whether or not she was a juror based on media reports. The judge in turn ordered journalists to refrain from publishing information about the juror’s current and prior jobs.
Justice Merchan said, “as evidenced by what’s happened already, it’s become a problem,” according to the AP. The answers also will be redacted from court transcripts.
Prosecutors additionally asked for the employer question to be removed from the questionnaire asked to jurors, while the judge disagreed with the argument and said it was necessary information.
Twelve jurors must be sworn in, with the judge saying he anticipated opening statements to begin possibly next week.
A second juror was dismissed later in the morning after prosecutors said that someone with the same name was arrested in the 90s for “tearing down political advertisements.”
The Associated Press also reported that this juror, an IT consultant who previously described Trump as “fascinating and mysterious,” failed to disclose his wife was allegedly a previous participant in a corruption inquiry by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
By Chase Smith
