The judge in Donald Trump's historic criminal trial warned the Republican presidential hopeful against intimidating jurors on Tuesday as six panelists were chosen with unexpected speed following questioning by both sides.

No other US ex-president has faced a criminal trial and the pressure is high on both sides to get a dozen jurors able to sit in judgment of a former president running to return to the White House this November.

After a preliminary phase in which prospective jurors could opt out if they felt unable to be impartial or had extenuating circumstances, defense attorneys and prosecutors began detailed questioning of an initial panel of 12.

Six jurors had been accepted and sworn in in by the end of Tuesday, and told they need not return to court until Monday, when the judge said opening statements would begin.

For Trump to be convicted of his alleged fraud in a scheme to cover up an embarrassing alleged extramarital encounter with a porn star, the jury must render a unanimous verdict. Even one dissenting voice would see him walk free.

The........

© International Business Times