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The full jury is sworn in. Catch up on what happened ahead of opening statements in the hush money trial
From CNN staff
The full jury panel has now been seated in the hush money trial against Donald Trump, clearing the way for opening statements to start on Monday.
There are 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case against the former president.
Opening statements are set to begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET. Court will be a half day on Monday and Tuesday due to Passover, ending at 2 p.m. ET each day.
Leaving the courthouse Friday, Trump again called the trial a "giant witch hunt." Just hours after jury selection finished, an appeals court denied Trump’s latest attempt to stop the trial from going forward.
Here’s what happened today:
Finishing jury selection:
- The remaining five alternates were sworn in on Friday. All 12 jurors and one alternate were selected Thursday.
- The day started with a group of22 potential jurors answering a questionnaire and facing more questions from lawyers on both sides.
- Trump watched the alternates' answers very closely as they shared their opinions of him, turning toward the jury box as they responded.
- Before the lunch break, Judge Juan Merchan gave the jurors instructions not to discuss the case with others or research it. He said the court cannot start until all 18 jurors are present each day.
Sandoval hearing:
- The judge held a Sandoval hearing in the afternoon after the full jury was sworn in. The routine procedure aimed to address Trump’s criminal history and assess how much prosecutors can ask about it if the defendant testifies.
- Prosecutors want to bring up past cases — including a $355 million civil fraud order and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case — but the former president's legal team argues those issues aren't relevant to the case at hand.
- The judge said lawyers will have his decision on that matter by Monday.
- It's not yet clear whether the former president will testify. But coming out of the courtroom, Trump said “yes” whenasked whether he would take the stand.
Meantime: A New York appeals court judge denied Trump’s motion for an interim stay pending achange of venue appeal. This was the latest attempt by the former president to stop the hush money trial before opening statements.
Outside the courtroom:
- A man lit himself on fire outside the courthouse, New York Police Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey said.
- The man walked into the park across the street from the courthouse, throwing flyers into the air, according to Maddrey. He then pulled a canister of what police believe to be an accelerant and lit himself on fire, he said.
- The man is in critical condition at Cornell Burn Unit.
- NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said police have not determined if the incident was related to Trump’s trial. He said the man did post about the incident on social media and that his internet presence will be part of the ongoing investigation.
See courtroom sketches from Trump's first criminal trial
No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump's hush money is underway, but sketch artists are capturing the scenes.
Trump’s request for interim stay of criminal trial is denied
From CNN's Lauren del Valle
A New York appeals court judge denied Donald Trump’s motion for an interim stay pending a change of venue appeal of his criminal trial.
This was the latest attempt by the former president to stop the hush money trial right before opening statements, which are set to be heard on Monday.
Judge Marsha Michael gave five minutes for each side to argue their case at the hastily arranged hearing Friday afternoon.
Trump says judge in New York hush money case “wants this to go as fast as possible”
From CNN's Kate Sullivan and Kaanita Iyer
Former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters as he exited the courtroom Friday, and said Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money trial, “wants this to go as fast as possible."
“The trial starts on Monday, which is long before a lot of people thought. The judge wants this to go as fast as possible. That’s for his reasons, not for my reasons,” Trump said.
The former president also called the trial "a giant witch hunt" and railed against people involved in the separate New York civil fraud case — including Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James —to make the case that Democrats are targeting him.
Court has adjourned
The court has adjourned for the day. Opening statements in the hush money trial are expected to begin Monday.
Trump says he'll testify
Donald Trump, asked whether he will testify in his hush money criminal trial, said "yes."
The former president was answering questions from reporters on his way out of the courtroom.
Prosecutors offer to provide name of first witness to Trump attorneys, but warn it should not be tweeted out
Donald Trump's attorneySusanNecheles renewed the defense's request for prosecutors to turn over the name of the witness they plan to call on Monday.
She suggested that the prosecution share the name with Trump's attorneys on condition that they don't tell their client.
Prosecutors offered to provide the name of the first witness on Sunday
"And should that be tweeted it will be the last time," Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said, referring to the notion that the former president tweet about the witness if they shared the name of the defense.
Lawyers argued about how much of Trump's criminal history can be brought up if he testifies. Here's a recap
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Lawyers spent most of Friday afternoon working to outline some ground rules if former President Donald Trump testifies in his hush money trial in New York.
The Sandoval hearing was held after the remaining alternate jurors were selected and sworn in Friday morning. The goal of the hearing was to address Trump’s criminal history and assess how much prosecutors can ask if a defendant testifies.
It's not yet clear whether the former president will testify.
Here’s a recap of what happened:
- Prosecutors want to bring up past cases — including a $355 million civil fraud order and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case — but the former president's legal team argues those issues aren't relevant to the case at hand.
- Trump attorney Emil Bove accused prosecutors of "piling things on" and trying to confuse the jury about what's actually at issue in the hush money criminal trial.
- Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said Trump’s credibility is at the "core" of the trial. He said that's an argument for allowing additional evidence, not excluding it.
- At one point, Judge Juan Merchan questioned why it wouldn't be relevant for prosecutors to try to impeach Trump's credibility. Bove responded that there's a cascading effect of having multiple civil lawsuits that are still under appeal.
- The judge said he will reserve his decision for now, but the lawyers will have it by Monday.
Judge says Trump team appears to be re-arguing ruling on "Access Hollywood" tape
Judge Juan Merchan says that former President Donald Trump's lawyers appear to be re-arguing his ruling on what can and can't come in related to the infamous "Access Hollywood tape."
Merchan said on Monday that he would not allow the tape to be played to jurors but would allow prosecutors to refer to what was said on the tape.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche is arguing that an email being introduced with the text of what was said went beyond what Merchan's initial decision allowed for, which is why they asked for clarification. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says that this was already argued on Monday morning.
Merchan says he's going to go back and read the transcript Monday and see if anything he said is inconsistent with his prior rulings. He said his main concern with the tape was that the jury would "hear your client's voice," see his face and his mannerisms.
"My concern is that would be extremely prejudicial," he says.
