After 22 days, the jury has been sent to begin deliberations.
They’ve got 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree against Donald Trump to address.
So what happens now?
When will we get a verdict?
Deliberations have begun – and the jury could reach verdicts at any point after that.
Court will adjourn at 4.30pm local time (9.30pm in the UK), at which stage the judge will discuss next steps.
Where will Trump be while they deliberate?
Trump and his lawyers will remain in the courthouse and will be waiting in an empty courtroom down the hall.
They’ll be remaining there until the jury returns.
What will happen when they read the verdict?
We initially expected a clerk to read the verdicts, but Judge Merchan’s instructions seemed to indicate that the jury’s foreperson will actually do this.
Getting through 34 counts could take less than three minutes.
What are the possible verdicts?
- Guilty – It only takes a guilty verdict on one count for Trump to receive a criminal conviction.
- Not guilty – To be acquitted, the jury must decide that Trump is not guilty on all counts.
- Mistrial – If one juror disagrees with the other 11, the judge would have to declare a mistrial, and the DA would have to decide whether to retry the case.
- Hung jury – If the jury can’t reach an agreement on the verdict, a hung jury can be declared. A retrial could be held in this case.
When would Trump be sentenced if he was found guilty?
If guilty, sentencing will come 4-6 weeks after the verdict.
He faces up to four years in prison, although legal experts expect the former president to avoid jailtime.
Source: Donald Trump trial latest: ‘Mother Teresa could not beat these charges’ – Trump downbeat
