In a #unanimous ruling, #SCOTUS sided w/the #Biden admin & the manufacturer of #mifepristone, & reversed a lower court decision that would have made it more difficult to obtain the drug used in >60% of #US#abortions. The ruling was not on the substance of the case, but on a procedural ruling the plaintiffs did not have #standing to bring the case.
#POTUS underscored #Trump “was given every opportunity to defend himself” & the case “was heard by a jury of…12 people like you & millions of Americans who serve on juries…chosen the same way every jury in America” is chosen.
“The jury heard 5 weeks of evidence, 5 weeks, & after careful deliberation, the jury reached a #unanimous verdict. They found Donald Trump #guilty on all 34 #felony counts. Now, he’ll be given the opportunity, as he should, to #appeal that decision….”
Each page yesterday took him just a little more than a minute, so this will take >30 mins.
Between that & the testimony readbacks, also expected to take >30 mins, there will likely be >1 hour this morning w/the jury in the courtroom, not actively deliberating.
All 12 jurors must agree to find #Trump#guilty in order to #convict him of any one of the #felonies w/which he has been charged: 34 counts of falsifying business records. The judge in the case, Juan M. #Merchan, repeatedly made this clear, saying in his instructions to the #jury: “Each count you consider, whether guilty or not guilty, must be #unanimous.”
Tues 29 May 2024 🧵
Good morning! It’s the last day of the #TrumpTrial before jury #deliberations.
Today Justice #Merchan will give #JuryInstructions. Then they will discuss the case among themselves for the first time; they have not been allowed to even discuss it w/each other as yet.
Closing arguments took place yesterday, & the lawyers will have no further opportunity to address the jurors before they determine whether #Trump is #guilty or not guilty of 34 felonies.
If jurors were required to be #unanimous on which unlawful means (#crimes) #Trump employed, it may have been harder to reach a verdict.
Merchan explains the elements of the #felony falsification charge. He says the records at issue can pertain to a private business & can be electronic or other data.