Learn what directions Judge Juan Merchan gave to the jury in the Trump's payoff case.

Learn what directions Judge Juan Merchan gave to the jury in the Trump's payoff case.

During the trial, Merchan addressed the jury with some guidelines:

1. Don't base your decision on biases or stereotypes.
2. Put aside personal differences.
3. Don't predict the length of a potential sentence or the type of punishment - that's for the judge to decide.
4. Don't hold it against Trump for not testifying.
5. They must prove every aspect of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt, and not simply guess or speculate.
6. A jury member cannot convict Trump based solely on Michael Cohen's testimony, but they can consider it if it's supported by other evidence.
7. If unanimous, the jury must determine whether Trump personally committed a crime, acted in partnership with others, or both.
8. They're required to evaluate if Trump attempted to promote or stop someone from holding public office through illegal means.
9. When deliberating, they should strive for consensus, but still hold onto their individual opinions.
10. Jurors cannot use their personal notes as evidence.
11. The foreperson will read out the verdict after the deliberations are complete.
12. Jurors must surrender their smartphones and can only discuss the case when all 12 of them are together.

Merchan further elucidated certain laws in the case:

For the falsification of business records, Merchan stated that the jury must establish:- He solicited, requested, commanded, or directly encouraged someone else to engage in that behavior.- He did so with the required state of mind to commit that crime.

He also explained the criteria for a first-degree falsification charge. The defendant should have the intent to defraud, including the intent to commit another crime or cover up one.

Concerning the Federal Election Campaign Act, Merchan informed the jury that it's unlawful for anyone to contribute more than the specified amount (which, for the relevant years, was $2,700) to a candidate running for office, including the presidency.

Lastly, Merchan articulated different tax law offenses:- It's against the law for a person to willfully produce a false tax statement or document.

You can read the entire set of jury instructions here. [https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2nd-CPA-Jury-Instructions.pdf].

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The jury must establish that Judge Juan Merchan's instructions were followed if someone accuses Trump of soliciting falsification of business records.In the context of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the jury needs to consider if anyone exceeded the specified contribution limit to a presidential candidate.

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