TWELVE jurors are selected in the Trump trial: Judge says the hush money case now has a full panel as the third day comes to a close

Lawyers in Donald Trump's historic criminal trial on Thursday selected 12 jurors who will assess his guilt or innocence over the coming weeks in a case stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star. 

The defense and the prosecution still must select alternate jurors for the trial, the first ever in which a former U.S. president is the defendant.

Earlier, the judge  dismissed two jurors on Thursday as the court struggled to assemble a panel for one of the most high-profile criminal cases in American history. 

Prosecutors said one juror had not disclosed prior brushes with the law, and Judge Juan Merchan excused him after bringing him in to the court for further questioning.

It came shortly after Judge Merchan had let go another juror, a nurse who said she felt intimidated because some of her personal information had been made public.

The two removals mean that five people have so far been selected for the jury, down from seven. It will ultimately  comprise 12 members and six alternates.

It highlighted the unprecedented pressures around the first criminal trial ever of a former U.S. president. 

The latest juror to be dismissed was a grandfather and IT consultant who had previously told the court he finds Trump 'fascinating'.

'He walks into a room and he sets people off an I find that really interesting,' the man said during jury selection. 'One guy can do all this. Wow. He makes things interesting.'

After he was accepted on to the jury on Tuesday details of a possible past arrest came to light. 

It was uncovered by lawyers that he may have taken down conservative political posters in the 1990s. 

On Thursday, Judge Merchan spoke to the juror for about four minutes and then excused him. 

Earlier, the former president had left Trump Tower for the third day of jury selection.

Aide Margo Martin, who has been among those attending the case, was spotted carrying her stilettos under an umbrella to protect them from the rain.

The deputy communications chief was part of the convoy of cars that followed Trump's SUV.

Shortly after Trump arrived the judge told the court that a female juror had ‘conveyed after sleeping on it overnight' that she 'had concerns about her ability to be fair and impartial’.

The woman was then brought to court and asked by Judge Merchan to explain herself. 

The woman said: 'Yesterday alone, I had friends, colleagues, and family push things to my phone, questioning my identity as a juror.

'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 Merchan said: ‘I’m sorry you went through that’ and excused her.

Meanwhile, Trump could face a showdown with Judge Merchan over a social media post.

Judge Merchan has ordered Trump not to attack potential jurors in the case.

In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday night Trump quoted Fox News host Jesse Watters.

Watters was quoted as saying: 'They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury.'

Some legal analsts suggested that could breach the order.

The order prohibits Trump from 'making or directing others to make public statements about any prospective juror or any juror.'

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said the post 'was 'clearly barred by the gag order in this case.'

He added: 'Criminal defendants have different and lesser rights than ordinary citizens. They are not allowed to interfere in the trial process, especially when there is a gag order that specifically addresses attempts to intimidate jurors. It is just not permissible.' 

So far, seven jurors have been picked to sit in deliberation.

They include an oncology nurse, a software engineer, an information technology professional, a sales professional, an English teacher and two lawyers.

Judge Merchan has said he anticipates opening statements in the landmark case to be given as early as next week.

The jury selection process has moved more quickly than expected and Trump has complained that Judge Merchan, is "rushing" the trial.

The case centers on a $130,000 payment that Trump's lawyer and personal fixer, Michael Cohen, made shortly before the 2016 election to porn actor Stormy Daniels to prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump from becoming public.

Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of the payments in internal records when his company reimbursed Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018 and is expected to be a star witness for the prosecution.

Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, and his lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses.

Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and has pleaded not guilty.

He could face up to four years in prison if convicted, though it's not clear that the judge would opt to put him behind bars.