Trump hush money trial: Jury selection follows familiar pattern with an unpredictable outcome

NEW YORK (AP) — When the first batch of potential jurors was brought in for Donald Trump’s criminal trial this week, all the lawyers had to go on to size them up at first were their names and the answers they gave in court to a set of screening questions.

Then the lawyers went to work, scouring social media for posts that might reveal whether people in the jury pool had hidden biases or extreme views.

One potential juror was dismissed by the judge after the Republican former president’s lawyers found a 2017 online post about Trump that said “Lock him up!” Trump’s lawyers rejected another potential juror after discovering she had posted a video of New Yorkers celebrating Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election win.

It’s all part of an effort by both sides to get a competent jury that — just maybe — might slant slightly in their favor.