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Donald Trump returns to court for day three of the historic Manhattan hush money trial.
The court will restart the questioning of hundreds of prospective jurors to try and fill the final five spots on the panel of 12.
The court also needs six alternatives who need to be ready as early as Monday for opening statements.
The former president has denied 34 charges of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to cover up a affair he has denied.
Follow DailyMail.com's minute-by-minute coverage from our reporters in the courtroom.
Judge Merchan decides jurors' employers will not be released publicly
Judge Merchan says he agrees with the defense that it's important to obtain information about prospective jurors' employers.
However, he says he is going to have those answers redacted from the court record, and he is directing the press in the courtroom and in the overflow not to report those answers.
"It’s become a problem," Merchan says.
The answers being redacted are questions 3a and 3d: 'Who is your current employer and who is your previous employer?'
The move comes amid concerns over jurors being identified.
Juror number two is DISMISSED, over her fears she could not be impartial
The oncology nurse who was selected to be the second juror was dismissed after saying she had doubts about her ability to be fair and impartial.
The woman, juror B280, was brought to court before the proceedings began and asked by Judge Juan Merchan to explain herself
Earlier judge Merchan told the court that the woman had ‘conveyed after sleeping on it overnight she had concerns about her ability to be fair and impartial’.
The woman told the court she ‘definitely have my concerns now’
She said that the previous day she had friends and family ‘push things’ towards her about her questioning her identity as a juror.
The woman said: ‘I don’t believe at this point I can be fair and unbiased and let the outside influence not affect my decision making in the courtroom
Judge Merchant said: ‘I’m sorry you went through that’ and excused her
Second juror says she called the court to express concerns about being 'fair and impartial'
Judge Merchan says that juror number two called the court to express concerns about whether she could be fair and impartial.
The juror number is B280.
He says he asked her to come at 9:15am, and they're going to get her now to speak with her.
Trump walks into the courtroom and takes a phone call
Trump walked into court wearing a dark blue suit, a white shirt and a blue tie. He sat with his lawyers at the defense table and looked over a notebook.
The former president answered his phone and talked briefly then hung up after a word in his ear from his lawyer, Todd Blanche.
Trump then stashed his phone in his pocket and stared forwards, looking bored.
Speaking on your phone in court is not strictly allowed, but the judge was not in court when Trump answered his mobile.
Blanche appeared to be explaining something to Trump and was gesturing with his hands.
Trump stared straight ahead with a scowl on his face as photographers were allowed in to take his picture.
Judge Juan Merchan entered and a court security officer called the case.
Trump campaign complains about the 'disgusting' court bathrooms. What is it like inside?
Donald Trump's campaign has used every opportunity to weaponize the trial.
One message to supporters is complaints about the 'disgusting' bathrooms inside the aging courtroom.
The bathrooms on the 15th floor of the court - where the trial is being held - are a far cry from the golden toilets he is used to.
They have chipped cubicle doors that don’t lock, harsh neon lights, stained yellow tiles on the walls and taps that leak water.
On the back of one cubicle door, a Trump supporter has stuck a sticker which reads: ‘Let’s Go Brandon’, an insult to President Joe Biden.
Trump leaves Trump Tower
The former president's motorcade is on its way to the downtown Manhattan court for the third day of jury selection.
Melania Trump will be Donald's 'rock' during the trial... but will she take the stand?
Melania Trump may not be publicly standing at Donald Trump's side during his trial in New York but, privately, she is backing her husband in his hush money case.
Still, her support has its limits. She is highly unlikely to testify on Trump's behalf and will be furious at her husband for bringing their son Barron into it.
When news of Trump's $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels broke, Melania was said to be blind-sided, humiliated and furious. But, like she has done throughout multiple Trump scandals in the past, she is staying by him.
'She's not going anywhere. She's there for him,' a source familiar with the Trumps told DailyMail.com. 'They're going through it together.'
'She's been that rock of the family.'
Could two lawyers on the jury help Trump?
The selection of two lawyers on the jury could have huge implications for Donald Trump's hush money trial.
Renato Stabile, an attorney who specializes in juries, told DailyMail.com that it is a 'bold but risky' move from both sides as other members of the panel will look to them for guidance.
'For that reason, lawyers usually don’t end up on juries unless each party thinks they are good for them, and obviously one party will be severely mistaken,' Stabile added.
'Here, both the prosecution and defense obviously think these two lawyers are good for them, because either side could have struck them with their peremptory challenges, but didn’t.
'It’s really a fascinating strategy, but keep in mind the parties have presumably done background research on these two lawyers and know things about them that we don’t.
'It also suggests to me that the Trump lawyers are going to advance a technical legal defense, which they are hoping these two lawyers will understand and advocate in the jury room during deliberations.'
Trump appears to violate the judge's gag order
Donald Trump appeared to violate the judge's gag order on Wednesday night, and could face consequences
The former president quoted Fox News host Jesse Watters: 'They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury.'
JustSecurity’s Ryan Goodman said this appeared to go against Judge Juan Merchan's order.
He pointed out part of the order that states Trump is prohibited from 'making … public statements about any prospective juror or any juror in this criminal proceeding'.
Goodman also highlighted the section that reads: 'Making or directing others to make public statements about any prospective juror or any juror in this criminal proceeding.'
Trump has already been warned he could face contempt charges for three previous social media posts attacking Michael Cohen.
A hearing is set for next week to see if he will be fined up to $1,000 for each post.
The grueling process to find five more impartial Trump jurors: Inside the unforgiving selection that saw a bookseller who listens to NPR in the shower dismissed for being too political
By Rob Crilly, DailyMail.com Senior Political Reporter inside the court
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass asked each of the 18 prospective jurors in front of him to look across at Donald Trump and then take a long look inside themselves and decide whether they were up to the job of deciding guilt or innocence.
'You have to be able to come back from your deliberations and look the defendant in the eye and say "guilty.'
'And only you can know that.'
The defendant knew exactly where to look. He wrenched his body around to the right facing them, and delivered a penetrating glare as each in turn answered 'yes.'
It made for a dramatic moment on day two of Trump's hush money trial. The former president went eye-to-eye with some of the Manhattan men and women who will deliver one of the most important verdicts in history.
Trump welcomes Poland's President Andrzej Duda to Trump Tower
The president of Poland became the latest foreign leader to beat a path to Donald Trump's door on Tuesday night as the world prepares for his possible return to the White House.
Andrzej Duda was greeted as an old friend as he arrived at Trump Tower, where the former president is staying as his criminal trial over alleged hush money payments gets underway in New York.
The two men are long-time allies but Duda was keen to win his support for more military help to Ukraine amid continued Republican hostility to a new aid package.
'This gentleman is doing a fantastic job, the people of Poland love him, they really do,' Trump told reporters as the pair walked in.
'We had four great years together. We may have to do it again.'
Welcome to DailyMail.com's coverage of day three of Donald Trump's hush money trial: Here is where we stand with jury selection
Donald Trump will return to court in New York on Thursday morning for the third day of his hush money trial.
Prospective jurors will be brought into the court to be asked 42 questions in the process to take the final five spots on the panel.
The court also needs six alternatives who need to be ready as early as Monday for opening statements.
Seven Manhattan residents have so far been selected to decide to decide if the first former president in history to stand trial will be found guilty or not guilty of falsifying business records.
He has denied trying to hide a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged an affair before the 2016 election.
The court has moved quicker than expected in selecting the panel, with the judge stopping any further delaying tactics from either side.
Here are the seven jurors who have been selected so far. They include a corporate lawyer, a teacher and man who called the ex-president 'fascinating'.
