Jurors Will Remain Anonym to Protect Them From Donald Trump

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Judge Orders Anonymous Jury in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case Against Trump: If their identities are disclosed, jurors could face 'harassment or worse by supporters of Mr. Trump,' judge ruled
by Aneeta Mathur-Ashton
TheMessengerPolitics.
Published 11/03/23 04:58 PM ET|Updated 11/04/23 09:07 AM ET

U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan has issued an order that the jury hearing the defamation case filed against former President Donald Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll will be anonymous.

"The court finds that [if] jurors' identities were disclosed, there would be a strong likelihood of unwanted media attention to the jurors, influence attempts, and/or harassment or worse by supporters of Mr. Trump," the order states.

Kaplan cites Trump's behavior and recent fines for violating Judge Arthur Engoron's gag order in his civil fraud trial in New York.

Kaplan notes that “there is strong reason to believe" the jury in the case will require protection “in view of Mr. Trump’s repeated public statements with respect to the plaintiff and court in this case, as well as in other cases against him, and the extensive media coverage that this case already has received and that is likely to increase once the trial is imminent or underway.”

The order requests that the names, addresses and places of employment of prospective jurors as well as the selected jurors will not be revealed."

Selected jurors will be kept together during recesses and lunch under the supervision of US marshals.

The selected jurors be also transported together or in groups “from one or more undisclosed location or locations at which the jurors can assemble or from which they may return to their respective residences” at the beginning and end of each day, Kaplan wrote.

Carroll, a columnist, originally sued the former president in 2019 for defamation after he denigrated her accusations that he sexually abused her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store. Carroll was awarded $5 million in September of this year.

Four months after the first verdict, Kaplan found that subsequent comments of Trump's comments were libelous, ruling that the lawsuit will only need to decide how much Trump will have to pay her.

Carroll's second trial is set for Jan. 15, 2024.

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Trump Deemed a LEGAL MENACE by Federal Judge, PROTECTS JURY
by Michael Popok
MeidasTouch
Nov 4, 2023

A federal judge has found that Donald Trump continues to be a menace to the court system and has ruled that the jury to hear Donald Trump‘s next civil case brought by E Jean Carroll for punitive damages in January will not only be anonymous, but will be under the protection of the Federal Marshals Service. Michael Popok of Legal AF explains how the judges around the country all have their eyes trained on Donald Trump‘s misconduct, and are just itching take judicial notice of his outrageous behavior and attacks on judges, jurors, prosecutors witnesses and staff (and all of their families) in their orders.

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NY Judge Makes KEY RULING in Trump Criminal Case Before Jury Selection
by Michael Popok
MeidasTouch
Mar 8, 2024

Judge Merchan just ordered that the Trump criminal jury for the business record fraud case needs to be protected from Trump’s harassment, jury tampering, andthreat of physical harm, in ruling that they will be anonymous when the trial starts this month. Michael Popok of Legal AF explains how the Judge used Trump and his lawyers own words against him in issuing the scathing order.



Transcript

this is Michael popok with a legal AF
hot take we got a new order from Judge
Juan M who presides over the first
criminal trial against Donald Trump that
starts on March 25 we've got a lot of
the short game going on right now with
filings Fast and Furious by the
Manhattan DA's office in the Stormy
Daniels hush money business record fraud
case against Donald Trump and Donald
Trump alone 34 counts in particular
business record fraud and conspiracies
around it and now the judg has decided
that there needs to be an onymous jury
to protect the jury from future
potential tampering of the jury by
Donald Trump and the judge use Donald
Trump's lawyers and Donald Trump's own
words against him in the order that we
just got and I'm going to break it down
for you right here one place might as
touch on this hot take so in the order
what we call in New York a decision in
order a dno on the motion for protective
order what the uh government or the
prosecutor Manhattan da was trying to
obtain and and did obtain is anonymity
and protection of the jury now that's
already been found to be an appropriate
thing in a number of cases involving
Donald Trump the uh federal judge in the
egene Carol rape and defamation punitive
damage case twice ruled that there
needed to be an anonymous jury it's
judge Kaplan be to protect the jury and
the future jury from Attack
doxing based on Donald Trump and the
people around him his bad
behavior that judge noted that Donald
Trump frequently attacks jurors Grand
jurors special purpose Grand jurors jury
for people judges staff prosecutors uh
FBI agents investigators and the like
and he made that jury Anonymous he
anonymize the jury twice but the judge
in Georgia did the same thing Judge
Scott McAfee little little reported
decision over about a year ago he found
that the Georgia jury for the future
trial of Donald Trump needed to be
anonymous as well and judge chuin in the
DC election interference case is
considered making the jury Anonymous but
now we got judge ban who's presiding
over the first case against Donald Trump
first to indict first to try in the
Manhattan DA's office and this is what
is in the order listen to these
words the judge says in in out lining on
page one that the defendant that's what
he calls Donald Trump not the former
president not anything but defendant is
charged with 34 counts of falsifying
business records in the first degree the
charges arise for the allegations that
defendant attempted to conceal in a
legal scheme to influence the 2016
presidential election specifically the
people that's the people of the state of
New York claim that defendant directed
an attorney who worked for his company
that's Michael Cohen to pay $1 $3,000 to
an adult film actress that's stormmy
Daniels shortly before the election to
prevent her from publicizing an alleged
sexual encounter with defendant Trump
and then reimburse the attorney Michael
Cohen that's my commentary for the
payments through a series of checks and
cause business records associated with
the repayment to be falsified to conceal
his criminal conduct it's a pretty good
and piy recitation of the charges
against the defendant Donald Trump the
motion here asked to have uh and to
prohibit the disclosure to the public of
the jurors
names and their business and residential
addresses the names would go and the
that information would go to the
lawyers uh to the council not Donald
Trump but not there now interestingly
enough Donald Trump's own lawyers felt
that was an appropriate protection of
the jurors think about that just as he
did is just as they did in the EEG
Carroll case the lawyers for Donald
Trump here believe that the jury needs
protection from Donald Trump and people
around him and conceded the
point the judge goes on on page one to
say defendant Trump filed a response in
which he consents consents to the
people's first two requests subject to
certain
modifications specifically as the judge
noted on page one defendant Trump
indicates that he believes that
protective measures against the jury or
for the jury are
appropriate judge of course agreed what
the judge went on to say in his
discussion section is the bombshell here
in footnote one on page two the judge
said that there are appropriate grounds
and compelling grounds to anonymize the
jury and to protect the jury and the
disclosure of their names um uh to be
limited to uh the council and to
Consultants of the respective parties
but not the parties themselves not
Donald Trump himself here's what the
judge said for example the people
demonstrate that defendant has an
extensive history of publicly and
repeatedly attacking trial jurors and
Grand jurors the Motions affirmations
and Exhibits of the respective parties
are Incorporated here in by reference
even more so listen to this finding the
judge says on page two that having
considered the arguments Advanced by the
people including the ones I just told
you about the attacks the V the virent
vitriol brought by Donald Trump against
jurors and Grand jurors the judge goes
on Judge Maron goes on here to say that
having considered the arguments Advanced
by the people in their motion and the
defendants in the response the court
concurs that a protective order to
protect the jury is necessary the court
further finds good cause on the record
before it that quote that there is a
likelihood of bribery jury tampering or
a physical injury or harassment of
jurors think about that Donald Trump
can't even be trusted to be a criminal
defendant in a case without having a
jury to be protected from and the judge
doesn't say which one physical
injury physical injury to a jury is a
possibility in the judge's mind in a
trial involving Donald Trump as a
defendant harassment of the jury
certainly and a likelihood of bribery
the judge could have used the lipes to
put dot dot dot I don't think it's the
bribery
part or the physical injury part but the
harassment part no the judge quoted the
entire section of the criminal code
including the one about jury tampering
and bribery connected to Donald
Trump I mean just to show you how Donald
Trump is perceived outside of Maga World
magal landia in the Criminal Justice
System including by judges state and
federal this is now the fifth time that
a jury's been anonymized and protected
from one Donald Trump because of
harassment threat of physical injury and
bribery the court goes on to use Donald
Trump's own words against him um as to
the third request the court says on page
three over to four the court this court
will rule on the people's third request
about um gagging B effectively a a gag
order against Donald
Trump and what the Jud Court does
instead is to recite a series of
instructions and acknowledgments
instructions that he gave to Donald
Trump's lawyer at the time Todd blanch
and acknowledgments not only by blanch
but by Donald Trump himself that he
understood the rules of the road in that
courtroom the judge says in particularly
on page three as defendant at
defendant's own arraignment on April 4th
2023 have I already mentioned that I
love the the fact that he only calls him
defendant it doesn't give Trump any
other title at defendant's arraignment
on April 4th 2023 this court asked
councel for both parties too speak to
your Witnesses defense counsel speak to
your client and and and remind them to
please refrain for making statements
that are likely to incite violence or
civil unrest please refrain from making
comments or engaging in conduct that has
the potential to incite violence create
civil unrest or jeopardize the safety or
well-being of any individual ual please
do not engage in words or conduct which
would jeopardize the rule of law
particularly as it applies to these
proceedings in this courtroom the court
then said to Mr Trump Mr Trump you have
the right to be president every stage of
the proceedings and that is obviously a
very very important right because it
allows you to assist your attorneys in
your defense it allows them to consult
with you I think it's advantageous to
have the jurors if there is a jury to
see you present so for all these Reasons
I'm sure you can appreciate to be
president your trial and proceedings is
important I'm required by law to inform
you that there are ways that you can
wave your right and I refer you to two
specific
areas um and they after the judge went
through do you understand your right to
be presentent at your own trial
defendant Mr Trump said yes and then the
court said a second way you can lose
your right to what you uh you can lose
your right uh if you become disruptive
if you become disruptive to such a
degree that it affects my ability to
preside over the case I do have the
authority to remove you from the
courtroom and continue in your absence
try you in abstention do you understand
this defendant Mr Trump I do that's from
the arraignment transcript from April
4th of 2023 the judge is reciting that
here for a reason to remind Donald Trump
that he's not going to put up with the
shenanigans the acting out the violent
attacks and the disruptive behavior that
he exhibited in the New York attorney
general civil fraud case where he tried
to give his own closing argument where
he continued to Harang and harass the
judge this judge has a jury to protect
has criminal justice to protect and
reminded Donald Trump and Donald Trump
acknowledged it so when Donald Trump
does act out he's not going to testify
he's gonna take the Fifth Amendment but
when he acts out in court throws up his
hands rolls his eyes tries to influence
the jury Snickers and the judge doesn't
want to hear it any longer he's going to
say Mr Mr Trump I warned you at your
arraignment you acknowledged my power my
ability to ban you from this courtroom
from disruptive behavior and if you
interfere with my ability to preside
over this trial and criminal justice
that's what he's going to do before he
throws the book at
him he uh he also went through in the
transcript where he said to um uh uh
Todd blanch the lawyer for Donald Trump
he said on page five of the transcript
and do did you explain to your C he said
um sorry the court says now did you
explain to your client that this order
constitutes a mandate of the court this
one about um how he needs to act and
perform and and the limits on his ex uh
ex uh statements made outside the
courtroom and he said did you explain
this to the court Mr blanch Mr blanch
said the lawyer for Donald Trump yes he
understands he has to comply with the
order if he doesn't do he's violating
your honors court order and the judge
went on to said and a violation of a
court mandate could result in sanctions
there are a wide range of sanctions they
could include up to a finding of
contempt you can explain that to your
client and Mr blanch said understood
your honor and so this is the ruling now
of the judge in a decision and Order and
this is not the last order we're going
to see there's still other motions
motions concerning Witnesses and
evidence and arguments and witness and
and jurs yet to be made by judge Maran
we're watching a judge with full command
after years on the bench and a and and a
sophisticated knowledge uh of how
Criminal Courts work and the criminal
justice system works even when the other
person on the other side of the V is
Donald Trump and we're going to follow
everything that happens on the March
25th start of that trial The Pick of the
jury will have legal AF commentators
such as my colleague and friend Karen
Freeman nifo former member of the
Manhattan DA's office she was the number
two lawyer in there to give us her
insight not so much her inside knowledge
she wasn't involved with this
prosecution but her Insight only one
place might has touch on legal AF every
Wednesday and Saturday at 8:00 pm
eastern time on this YouTube channel and
then on hot taks just like this one
where we do the intersection of law
politics and Justice like no other
podcast if you like lawyers talking
about things where they know what
they're talking about at the
intersection of law politics and Justice
it's one place legal AF so until my next
hot take until my next legal AF leave a
comment give me give me a thumbs up it
does help with the algorithmic gods and
keeps us on the air this is Michael popo
legal AF reporting love this video make
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