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.
Members of the prosecution team returned to the courtroom and gathered at the counsel table.
Donald Trump then returned to the courtroom.
Judge Merchan, after entering the courtroom, said, "At this time, I am going to excuse the jury around 4:30."
As the jury continues its deliberations, the courtroom is quiet except for the clacking of reporters' keyboards.
Trump and his attorneys are in a separate waiting area, as are attorneys with the DA's office. That leaves about 60 reporters waiting in the quiet courtroom, where four court officers are enforcing a "no talking" rule.
One court officer sits at a desk by the bell that the jury rings when they want to contact the court. Two court reporters sit in the corner of the room near the witness stand, with their three-foot stack of paper transcripts looming behind them.
On the right side of the gallery, four sketch artists continue to work. It’s unclear what they are drawing.
During this morning's testimony readbacks, the courtroom heard the voice of the jury foreman, who told Judge Merchan the jury wanted to hear "instructions first," then later replied in the affirmative when Merchan asked if the jury's requests had been satisfied.
The person selected to be the foreman on Trump's jury -- chosen by default due to being selected as Juror No. 1 -- is a male New Yorker who has worked in sales for nearly three decades. Originally from Ireland, he previously worked as a waiter.
The foreman is also one of just two known immigrants in the group -- the other being from Lebanon.
Regarding his education, Juror No. 1 said during the jury selection process that he attended "some college." The jury as a whole includes seven members with advanced degrees, plus another juror who also said they attended "some college."
Juror No. 1 said he had never served on a jury before, and that he gets his news from The New York Times, Fox News, and MSNBC.
Asked during voir dire by prosecutors if he would have a problem with the concept of "accessorial liability" -- that is, holding Trump responsible for something his partners did -- Juror No. 1 said he wouldn't.
"None at all," he replied.
Later, he was asked by Trump's attorney Todd Blanche for his "positive or negative" opinion of the fact that there are charges against Trump.
"I don't have an opinion at all," he said.
Court recessed for lunch, with the jury continuing their deliberations.
Under the rules of the court, no notes were to come from the jury during the hour-long lunch break.
