Live updates: Opening statements to begin in Trump’s criminal trial

Alex Woodward reports from the courtroom for The Independent:

Juror 9 will remain on the case after speaking with Judge Juan Merchan and prosecution and defence lawyers.

“So that’s not going to be the issue,” Merchan says.

The prosecution’s opening statement will be 40 minutes, and the defence statement will take 25 minutes.

Some housekeeping matters will be dealt with first.

First, on a defence request for clarification on the Access Hollywood tape.

“I don’t really see the confusion,” Merchan says. “At this point, I don’t really see any reason why a transcript that accurately summarises what was on the tape can’t be submitted into evidence.”

Here’s Donald Trump seated at the defence table giving his courtroom pose.

A juror has expressed concern about media attention in the case and will speak with the judge. Lawyers have gone into a side room to join them.

CNN reports that the day will only run until 12.30pm as an alternate has a dentist appointment.

Donald Trump is seated at the defence table looking straight ahead.

President Joe Biden has no jurisdiction or influence over criminal indictments brought against Mr Trump at the local or state level (Manhattan and Georgia).

At the federal level, the Department of Justice handed its two investigations (into the classified documents in Florida and the events leading up to January 6 in Washington, DC) over to Special Counsel Jack Smith for the very purpose of avoiding a conflict of interest.

Further, all four Trump criminal cases were assessed by members of the public in respective grand juries who recommended that prosecutions proceed.

Donald Trump has arrived at the courthouse and is making remarks in the hallway outside of the courtroom.

The former president says that he is here instead of being in Pennsylvania and other places campaigning.

Continuing, he says that is very unfair and a witch hunt, and it’s a shame, and it comes out of Washington.

“I just want people to understand this was done with purpose of hurting the opponent of one of the worst presidents,” he says.

He then went into a long rambling defence of the bond he put up in the civil fraud case which is being questioned by New York Attorney General Letitia James and called Judge Arthur Engoron an “extremely crazed judge”.

“It’s a very, very sad day in America, I can tell you that. Thank you very much.”

He’s inside the courtroom now. We’re still not.

While Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought the charges against former president Donald Trump, the case will be laid out by a team of three prosecutors — Joshua Steinglass, Matthew Colangelo, and Susan Hoffinger.

We don’t know yet which of them will present the prosecution’s opening statement.

Here’s Ariana Baio’s breakdown of who’s who in the case:

Donald Trump’s legal fees are taking a chunk out of his campaign funds – with one of the groups that has underwritten many of those costs having spent nearly $3.7m last month.

The money Save America spent on legal expenses rivals the $3.7 million Trump’s campaign committee spent altogether in March. It comes after President Joe Biden’s campaign spent $29.2 million on his campaign in March, including a barrage of media buys in swing states.

Trump faces four criminal indictments in four separate jurisdictions.

Nearly 100 felony criminal charges have been levelled against the former president, who remains the presumptive nominee to be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate once more in 2024.

As his legal battles grow more complex by the day, a serious question has emerged: what happens if Trump wins the nomination and campaigns for the general election as a convicted criminal?

That possibility, in turn, raises another simpler question: could the 45th president of the United States go to prison?

John Bowden attempts an answer.

And he seems to be posting away in the back of the car: