The New York judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial will ask prospective jurors about their media consumption and whether they follow QAnon or belong to the Proud Boys.
Potential jurors will also have to say if they worked for Mr. Trump’s companies or have strong feelings about a former president being criminally charged, according to the 42-item questionnaire filed by Judge Juan Merchan before selection starts Monday.
Other topics, including party affiliation, will be off-limits.
“There are no questions asking prospective jurors whom they voted for or intend to vote for, or whom they have made political contributions to. Nor are jurors asked about their specific political party registration, though the answer to that question may easily be gleaned from the responses to the other questions,” the judge wrote.
An indictment charges Mr. Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Trump funneled hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and two other persons by documenting the payments as fees for his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, on the cusp of the 2016 election.
Ms. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, says she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump nearly two decades ago. Mr. Trump denies her claim and has pleaded not guilty.
Many of the questions to potential jurors are routine, such as their occupation and whether they’ve been accused of a crime.
Others speak to the historical nature of the trial, as Mr. Trump becomes the first ex-president to face criminal prosecution.
The judge wants to know which news sites and social media platforms potential jurors read, listing The New York Times, Newsmax, TikTok and Truth Social, among others.
The questionnaire asks if they follow or belong to fringe political groups, including QAnon, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters, the Boogaloo Boys and Antifa.
Selecting a jury to try one of the most famous persons in the world will be difficult.
“This court notes that the process of summoning thousands of additional jurors and implementing the necessary measures to ensure that their identities remain anonymous is involved,” the judge wrote.
Judge Merchan said he is not inclined to question individually any juror who claims he or she cannot be impartial, which is customary in other trials.
“In my experience, the vast majority, if not all, of the jurors who have self-identified as unable to serve, are in fact excused at this stage for an assortment of reasons, not the least of which is bias in favor of or against one of the parties,” the judge wrote.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.