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.
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 sure you stay up todate on the latest breaking news and all things midest by signing up to the midest touch newsletter at mest touch.com [Music] newsletter