Judge Merchan told the parties he would take a few minutes back in chambers before returning at 4:30 ET to bring in the jury and excuse them for the day.

Trump, at the defense table, was actively conferring with attorney Todd Blanche as they waited, with Blanche laughing and covering his mouth as Trump whispered in his ear. Trump flashed a grin.

Defense attorneys Emil Bove and Susan Necheles were also smiling as they chatted.

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.

"It's a paper case," defense attorney Todd Blanche says. "This case is not about an encounter with Stormy Daniels 18 years ago. An encounter that President Trump has unequivocally and repeatedly denied ever occurred. It's not even about a settlement in 2016," Blanche said.

"The bookings were accurate. And there was absolutely no intent to defraud," he said. "And beyond that, there was no conspiracy to influence the 2016 election."

Starting a PowerPoint showing the evidence, Blanche quickly seeks to made the case a referendum on the credibility of Michael Cohen, telling jurors he lied on the witness stand.

"You cannot convict President Trump of any crime beyond a reasonable doubt on the words of Michael Cohen," Blanche said.

"He told you a number of things on that witness stand that were lies, pure and simple," Blanche continued.

"The words that Michael Cohen said to you on that stand -- they matter. He took an oath, he swore to tell the truth, and he told you a number of things on that witness stand that were lies, pure and simple," Blanche said.