April 15, 2024
What a difference a year makes! Last April, when former President Trump was indicted here, it was freezing cold outside. Today was easily the finest day of the year so far: sunny, warm, and dry. Perfect, in other words. Unless you’re Donald Trump and a courtroom in 100 Center Street is the last place on Earth you want to be. It took a year to get to this point and, according to Judge Juan Merchan, the trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks. It’s highly unlikely that today’s stupendous weather will be surpassed.
This is how District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr explained the case last April:
“The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election. Manhattan is home to the country’s most significant business market. We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct. As the Statement of Facts describes, the trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws. As this office has done time and time again, we today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.”
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. You can read the Indictment and Statement of Facts here.
Although the Gazette wasn’t in the courtroom today, multiple media organizations that were inside posted live updates of the legal drama. The early part of the day concerned the ground rules, such as which evidence will be allowed and the trial schedule. The rest of the day was devoted to seating a jury. Jury selection will continue tomorrow.
Outside, across Center Street, dozens of TV crews were penned in by NYPD bike rack barriers. A few pro and anti Trump protesters were present in Collect Pond Park between Center and Lafayette Streets. There were a lot of NYPD and Court Officers keeping everyone who didn’t have business inside 100 Center street far away. Passersby stopped on Lafayette to have a look, but they were too far away to really see anything. They’ll have plenty of more chances to perhaps catch a glimpse of the former President and now current Defendant during the next month and a half or so that the trial is expected to last.
“Equal and exact Justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion.” ~T Jefferson.