First day of ex-President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial passes without selecting jurors

Former US President Donald Trump is set to return to court after no jurors were selected on the first day of his criminal hush money trial in New York. The process of selecting jurors began on Monday, with a first batch of 96 potential jurors brought in to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

Judge Juan Merchan dismissed more than half of the initial potential jurors due to personal bias preventing them from being fair to Trump. Dozens more will go through a similar process on Tuesday, with those remaining facing more detailed questioning in the coming days.

Trump, who faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, turned and stared at the potential jurors when introduced as the defendant. The trial, which could last up to eight weeks after jurors are selected, will not be televised, making it a historic event as the first former president in US history to stand trial on criminal charges.

The case stems from payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, with Trump denying any sexual encounter and pleading not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum of four years behind bars. Trump is also facing three other criminal trials and several civil lawsuits, as he gears up for a possible election rematch with President Joe Biden in November.