Judge Juan Merchan is delivering instructions to jurors before they go to deliberate in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
Here’s what Merchan has told the jury so far:
- They must not make a decision based on biases or stereotypes;
- They must set aside personal differences;
- They must not speculate how long sentencing may be or what the punishment might be – that’s up to the judge;
- They can’t hold it against Trump for not testifying;
- The “people must prove beyond a reasonable doubt every element of the crime.” He reminds the jury it must not rest its verdict on speculation;
- They can consider whether a witness hopes to receive a benefit related to the trial, or if they have an interest in how the case ends;
- They cannot convict Trump on Michael Cohen’s testimony alone because he���s an accomplice, but they can use his evidence if corroborated with other evidence;
- The jury must be unanimous if they find Trump guilty – on whether he committed the crime personally, acted in concert with others or both;
- They must determine if Trump conspired to promote someone or prevent them from public office by unlawful means;
Merchan explained some key laws in the case:
On the law applicable to falsifying business records, Merchan told the jury:
“You must find beyond a reasonable doubt first that he solicited requested, commanded, importuned or intentionally aided that person to engage in that conduct and second that he did so with the state of mind required with the commission of the offense.”
He also explained what makes a person guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree – explaining that they must have the intent to defraud – including the intent to commit another crime or conceal the commission of one.
On what constitutes a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act: It is unlawful for an individual to willfully make a contribution to any candidate running for office, including the presidency, exceeding certain limits which in the relevant years was $2,700, Merchan tells the jury.
