Jury Is Chosen in Hunter Biden Trial

FBI agent will be first witness in gun case
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 3, 2024 5:40 PM CDT
Jury Is Chosen in Hunter Biden Trial
Hunter Biden, left, accompanied by his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, departs federal court, Monday, June 3, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A jury was seated Monday in the federal gun case against President Biden's son Hunter. Prospective panelists were questioned about their thoughts on gun rights and drug addiction while the first lady watched from the front row of the courtroom in Wilmington, Delaware. Opening statements were set to begin Tuesday after the jurors—six men and six women plus four women serving as alternates—were instructed by Judge Maryellen Noreika not to talk or read about the case.

  • People who answered "yes" on a questionnaire were quizzed individually by Noreika to determine whether they could be fair and impartial, the AP reports. Their names were not made public.

  • The questions tested their knowledge of the case, surveyed their thoughts about gun ownership and inquired whether they or anyone close to them have struggled with substance abuse or addiction. Other questions focused on the role politics may have played in the charges.
  • One potential juror who was sent home said she didn't know whether she could be impartial because of the opinion she had formed about Hunter Biden based on media reports. "It's not a good one," she replied when an attorney asked her opinion. Another was excused because he was aware of the case and said, "It seems like politics is playing a big role in who gets charged with what and when."
  • Another potential juror was dismissed after he said he knew the Biden family "fairly well" and had played squash with Beau, the president's late son, CNN reports.
  • Jurors who were chosen included a woman whose sister was convicted about 10 years ago of credit card fraud and drug charges in Delaware. One male juror's father had been killed in a crime involving a gun, and his brother went to jail for possession of a narcotic.

  • One juror said she had donated to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, NBC News reports. She said her daughter and son-in-law are correctional officers and gun owners.
  • In a statement Monday, the president said he has "boundless love" for his son, "confidence in him and respect for his strength." "I am the President, but I am also a Dad," he said, adding that he would have no further comment on the case. "Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today."
  • NBC reports that the first witness after opening statements on Tuesday will be FBI agent Erica Jensen, who worked on the investigation.
(More Hunter Biden stories.)

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