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.

Finishing up his 10 reasons why he says Trump should be acquitted, defense attorney Todd Blanche listed:

- "There is no evidence of any illegal effort to influence the 2016 election," Blanche said.

- "AMI would have run Mr. Sajudin's story no matter what," Blanche said. "That's not catch and kill."

- "McDougal did not want her story published," Blanche said. "That's not catch and kill."

- Daniel's story was "already public," Blanche said.

- Blanche argued that key evidence was "manipulated" during the trial. He alleged that the district attorney's office made mistakes when analyzing Cohen's phone. "How can you trust that the September 6 recording is actually reliable? The answer is you can't," Blanche said.

- "Michael Cohen. He is the human embodiment of reasonable doubt," Blanche said.

In a play on words, Blanche asked the jurors if the knew of the term GOAT, for the Greatest Of All Time. Some of them nodded.

He then said Cohen was the GLOAT, the "greatest liar of all time."

"You cannot send someone to prison based upon the words of Michael Cohen," Blanche said, concluding his closing statement.