Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been convicted on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Merchan instructed the jury that they cannot hold Trump's not testifying against him.
"Defendant is not required to prove that he is not guilty," he said.
"The defendant is not required to prove or disprove anything," said the judge.
Judge Merchan told the jury that they should not speculate about the sentence or punishment in the case.
"It will be my responsibility to impose an appropriate sentence," Merchan said.
The judge also had to advise the jury about this yesterday after defense lawyer Todd Blanche argued that the jury "cannot send somebody to prison" based on Michael Cohen's testimony.
The jury appears to be laser focused on Merchan during the charge. Half of the jurors appear to be taking notes.
"It is not my responsibility to judge the evidence here. It is yours," Judge Merchan told the jurors as he began his instructions for their deliberations.
"You are the judges of the facts, and you are responsible for deciding whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty."
The judge instructed jurors on avoiding "stereotypes" or "implicit biases" in their deliberations.
"As a juror you are asked to make a very important decision about another member of the community," he said.
Judge Juan Merchan took his seat on the bench, and Trump flashed a closed mouth smile when the judge said good morning in his usual fashion.
Before bringing the jury back into the courtroom, Merchan asked the parties to confirm the proposed verdict form.
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass flagged a minor typo, but both sides appeared to be in agreement about the form, which will the jury will fill out once they render a verdict.
After the jury was brought into the courtroom, Merchan told them the reading of the jury charge will take approximately an hour.
