Opening statements are scheduled for Monday, when Judge Juan Merchan said he also plans to rule on arguments he heard Friday about what materials the prosecution can ask Trump about if he testifies.

Earlier in the day, several prospective panelists said they felt unable to participate in such a high-stakes case.

“I think, possibly, I have really bad anxiety,” one woman told the court. “The more days that go on and more and more people in my life know that I’m here without me even telling them, they just put pieces together.”

Another woman said she had every intention of keeping an open mind when summoned to the downtown courthouse earlier this week for jury selection but no longer felt she could realistically be fair.

“I want to be, and I had every intention,” she said. “I think after the questions posed to prospective jurors, and asking those questions to myself, I don’t think I can be impartial.”

Merchan excused both women without either side objecting.

Trump sat hunched over at the defense table, reading through paperwork as the potential jurors addressed the court.

Earlier on Friday, he returned to the lower Manhattan courthouse for the fourth day of proceedings after a jam-packed first week searching for a jury. Merchan has told jurors to plan on coming back Monday for opening statements.

The latest batch of potential jurors summoned in the case is expected to face more questions on Friday about whether they can be fair and impartial.

Trump spoke to the cameras just before 9 a.m., complaining how the gag order that requires him to stay mum on witnesses, the jury and court staff and their family makes the trial “unfair.”

...continued

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.