Trump is 'presumed to be innocent,' judge tells jury
Donald Trump faced forward and did not appear to make eye contact with any jurors as they entered the courtroom and took their seats in the jury box.
Before any of the lawyers in the case could speak a word, Judge Merchan launched into a lengthy speech outlining how the trial will work.
"We are about to begin the trial of People of the State of New York v. Donald Trump," Merchan told the 12 jurors and six alternates.
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Merchan emphasized that the burden of proof rests on the prosecutors and that jurors should presume that Trump is innocent. A guilty verdict requires that each juror determines that the state proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt, Merchan said.
"The defendant is presumed to be innocent," Merchan said. "It is not sufficient to prove that the defendant is probably guilty."
Merchan attempted to set expectations for the jurors, only two of which have ever served on a jury before. For example, Merchan told the jurors not to expect the lawyers to launch into lengthy speeches outside of the opening and closing statements.
"That happens in TV and in movies, but it doesn't happen in real trials," Merchan said.