A federal judge in New York has ordered that the jury in an upcoming defamation trial against former President Donald Trump will be anonymous. The judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, cited Trump’s “repeated public statements” as the reason for the jury’s anonymity. The trial, scheduled for January in Manhattan, involves a writer who claims that Trump sexually abused her in the 1990s.
Judge Kaplan’s order states that the jury will be transported by the U.S. Marshals Service due to concerns about the extensive media coverage and the potential increase in attention once the trial begins. The judge believes that anonymity is necessary to protect the jury.
Trump’s lawyers have not yet responded to the order or provided any comment on the matter.
This is not the first time an anonymous jury has been used in a case involving Trump. In May, another anonymous jury awarded $5 million in damages to columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual abuse. However, the jury rejected Carroll’s claim of rape.
The upcoming trial stems from a lawsuit filed in 2019, after the writer accused Trump of attacking her following a chance encounter in a midtown Manhattan store. The progression of the lawsuit has been delayed by appeals, and a federal appeals court has yet to rule on Trump’s claim of absolute presidential immunity.
After the May verdict, Judge Kaplan ruled that Carroll’s lawyers would not have to prove again that Trump sexually attacked her. Instead, they will focus on determining the damages Trump should face for his defamatory remarks.
Carroll’s lawyers have since updated the lawsuit to include remarks made by Trump in a televised town hall following the verdict. The writer is seeking at least $10 million in compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages.
Just last week, Trump was fined $10,000 by a New York state judge for violating a gag order in a civil fraud case. The judge, Arthur Engoron, required Trump to testify and answer questions. Trump denied referring to a senior law clerk when he made comments about someone “sitting alongside” the judge being more partisan.
Engoron had previously fined Trump $5,000 for violating the same gag order on social media. He even suggested the possibility of holding Trump in contempt of court and potentially imprisoning him for further violations.
In addition to these legal challenges, Trump also faces four criminal indictments, including cases related to the 2020 presidential election and allegations of arranging a payoff to porn actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
