Staff Reports
In the latest twist in the ongoing legal battle over Donald Trump’s classified documents case, Special Counsel Jack Smith is pushing the federal judge to shut down the former president’s lawyers’ request to grill potential jurors about their political leanings and voting history. Ooh, things are really heating up now!
Jack Smith pushes court not to ask jurors whom they voted for in 2020 https://t.co/lWYaIkEBer https://t.co/lWYaIkEBer
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 29, 2024
The tension between the two sides is palpable as the trial looms in the distance. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is right in the middle of the drama, asking both Trump’s legal team and Smith’s squad to join forces and come up with a jury questionnaire that they can both agree on. Can you believe it?! The nerve! The joint proposal, a whopping 31 pages long, is filled with red text for the government’s demands and blue text for the defense’s suggestions. We’re talking about a real legal showdown, folks.
Smith’s team is not holding back, shooting down questions left and right that Trump’s lawyers want to include in the jury questionnaire. They’re not having any of it. Smith’s crew wants to strike questions about jurors’ voting history, party affiliation, and even their thoughts on politicians. And can you believe that Trump’s team wants to know if the jurors think Trump is being treated unfairly by the court system? It’s like they want to start a riot in the courtroom!
And that’s not all, folks! The battle rages on with each side objecting to the other’s demands about how jurors should disclose their news sources and their thoughts on the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. It’s like a legal tug-of-war, and neither side is willing to back down.
The drama doesn’t stop there. Trump’s team wants to make sure the jurors understand his rights as a defendant, emphasizing that an indictment is not evidence and that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. They’re really pulling out all the stops to sway the jury in their favor. It’s a bold move, that’s for sure!
The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Smith’s team is working hard to keep the defense from prying into the jurors’ political preferences, raising concerns that it could influence potential jurors who “may have strong views about Trump, his co-defendants, or the Government in this case.” Talk about a legal battle of epic proportions!
As the two sides continue to spar over the jury questionnaire, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next. Will Judge Cannon give in to Trump’s demands, or will Smith’s team come out on top? The trial is set to kick off on May 20, but with all these delays and legal maneuverings, who knows what could happen next? This is one legal showdown that’s not going to end quietly, that’s for sure!
