Jury Deliberating Trump Verdict in New York

The jury needs to decide 34 counts of felony-level falsification of business records in the first-ever criminal trial of a U.S. president.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (C) sits in court during his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on May 28, 2024. Spencer Platt/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Jurors began deliberating in former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York on May 29, after New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan spent more than an hour instructing the jury on the law.

“Your verdict on each count you consider, whether guilty or not, must be unanimous,” he told the jurors. “That is, each and every juror must agree to it.”

‘Intent to Defraud’

Justice Merchan reminded jurors that prosecutors have the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that not only was the charged crime committed but also that it was committed by President Trump.