The selection pool for jurors in former President Donald Trump’s trial concerning confidential documents will predominantly comprise counties in Florida that were Trump strongholds during his presidential runs.
The trial is expected to occur in Fort Pierce, where Judge Aileen Cannon typically presides, situated at the northernmost point of the Southern District of Florida.
The jury pool for the courthouse draws from one swing county and four firmly Republican counties, as reported by The New York Times.
Cannon, a Trump nominee in 2020, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of relocating the trial. “I’m not entirely sure that this case will proceed in Fort Pierce,” shared Dave Aronberg, a soon-to-retire state attorney from Florida’s Palm Beach County, with the Times.
Aronberg anticipates a potential shift to West Palm Beach, the county Trump resides in and where the confidential documents were located.
Unless the case’s venue changes, it’s expected to recruit jurors predominantly from Republican-leaning regions, as per the Times report.
John Morgan, a trial lawyer, told the Times, “For many years, this has been a heavily conservative setting for plaintiff attorneys. It is solid, solid Trump territory.”
In the 2020 election, Trump claimed victory in Okeechobee County, a rural region where barely more than 16,000 individuals cast their votes, with 71.5% in his favor, according to the county’s vote count.
He secured Highlands County with 66.8% of the votes in 2020, a rural county where over 52,000 people voted.
In Martin County, where over 98,000 individuals voted, Trump won 61.8% of the votes. Similarly, in Indian River County, where more than 97,000 votes were cast, the then-president won 60.2% of the votes.
St. Lucie County, a swing county, saw Trump secure a narrow victory in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. He garnered 50.4% of the votes in 2020, overcoming President Joe Biden.
Judge Cannon has slated the commencement of Trump’s criminal trial for unlawful retention of classified government documents on Aug. 14, “or whenever the case may be summoned thereafter.”
Fort Pierce is positioned approximately 120 miles north of Miami along Florida’s eastern coastline.
