'Most difficult jury selection imaginable': Experts say choosing Trump's peers will be major undertaking
The case against Donald Trump on allegations he mishandled classified documents was described by a Miami attorney as “probably the most political case in American history.”
But, despite the conservative political leanings of the pool from which jurors are expected to be drawn, the case’s outcome could transcend politics, according to lawyers and jury consultants, The Sun Sentinel reports.
Judge Aileen M. Cannon has set the case for a courthouse over which she presides in the Southern District of Florida’s northernmost location, a conservative region that backed the former president in the last two election cycles.
“This is probably the most difficult jury selection imaginable,” Miami attorney Jeffrey Tew told the Sun Sentinel. “What you want in your jury is to have people judge the facts and the law without any preconceptions as to what the facts are and what the laws are.”
“You’re choosing a jury in probably the most political trial in American history,” Tew said, noting that “former President Trump, from the day he started running, has been in the news almost every day, and with his personality he has a very forceful personality that turns some people off and turns some people on.”
The case will require jury consultants to investigate prospective jurors in real time, according to Crossroads Investigations President Marc Hurwitz, a Miami-based jury consulting firm that is not involved in the case.
“We get our entire team to look through their social media, anything that will show their political leanings,” Hurwitz told The Sun Sentinel. “We’re doing it super fast. The client tells us what does their ideal juror look like? What is the criminal background? Are they a business owner? Do they have kids? Do they have liens, bankruptcies or foreclosures?”
Investigators will attempt to conduct research on all aspects of the potential jurors lives, including their education level, occupation, and political donations, Hurwitz said
“We only have a few hours to look,” Hurwitz said. “In a case like this, there may be hundreds of jurors. They generally will take 50 at a time.”