Lunch recess. We're back at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche asks about obtaining jury identities. Justice Merchan says he will hand the parties two lists: one with the jurors' numbers, another with the jurors' names. The latter list isn't to be photographed or shared, he orders.
The list with the names will be returned to the court. The press and public will not have access to that list, per the terms of the judge's earlier order. nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/pre…
The current pause in the proceedings is the transition to jury selection, and the potential jurors started going through security around 2:05 p.m., per pool reporter @Ximena_Bustillo
Justice Merchan hands the two lists — one with juror numbers, and another with juror names — to attorneys for the parties. They bring it with them to their respective tables, and the CCTV feeds are disabled in the overflow room.
The CCTV comes back on, as the potential jurors are sworn in and the selection process kicks off.
Justice Merchan tells jurors that trial is expected to last roughly six weeks, though he emphasizes that's just an estimate. Though the jurors are out of view of most of the press, pool reporter @mikesisak says: "It's a diverse cross-section of Manhattanites."
Before proceedings began, Justice Merchan said he would immediately excuse jurors who said they couldn't be fair. Candidates self-identifying in this way are being excused right now.
Wow. "More than half of prospective jurors in the first panel of 96 people have been excused after saying they could not be fair and impartial. At least 50 were let go for that reason" — per @GrahamKates in the press pool
@KlasfeldReports @GrahamKates Must be Democrats. Republicans lie.
@FirstCupCoffee2 @KlasfeldReports @GrahamKates This. At least MAGAs would lie, IMO.
@FirstCupCoffee2 @KlasfeldReports @GrahamKates Or, it could be people who are in fear of being harassed.