Hunter Biden trial highlights: Jury seated after selection removes some with deep political and gun views

At about 4:15 p.m., the group of qualified jurors who were in the initial round but were ultimately struck from the final jury left the courtroom. The first juror in the line — an older man — appeared to dance as he exited and then fist-bumped the jury administrator. Several other dismissed jurors fist-bumped the jury administrator as they walked to the elevator or gave high-fives; many thanked her for the snacks provided.

Later a court employee wheeled the jury snack cart out into the hallway — it included Goldfish crackers, Oreos, Pringles and granola bars.

After the proceedings ended, Hunter Biden first embraced the first lady, hugging and exchanging kisses on the cheek. He also hugged and kissed on the cheek multiple family members and friends who had been sitting in the rows behind the defense table, including Kevin Morris.

Before he left the courtroom, Biden patted his defense attorney Abbe Lowell on the shoulder and exited the courtroom with his wife, Melissa Biden, with his hand on her shoulder.

Throughout the trial day, Biden was engaged, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and resting his chin or his face on his hands, which were clasped. He was looking at the jurors or the judge, occasionally speaking to his defense lawyers.

Weiss arrived in the courtroom after the first break and was present until the end. He sat in the front row behind the prosecutors in a relaxed posture with his back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, at the jury or at the media.

Jurors appeared engaged, most looking down at the written jury instructions as they listened to the judge.

The prosecution’s first witness will be FBI Special Agent Erica Jensen.

Court is done for the day. Opening statements begin tomorrow.

Jurors will come into this trial with some background in gun ownership and struggles with substance abuse.

Juror 26, a middle-age Black man, said that he has concealed weapons permits and that "I believe the Second Amendment is very important." Other jurors also said they have relatives who own guns.

Juror 39 recounted how his older brother struggled with PCP and heroin, but he did not appear to be close to that sibling. Asked whether his brother was still fighting addition, the juror said he was the "last time I checked." He said he does not think people should own guns if they are addicted to drugs.

Juror 38 said that her childhood best friend died of a heroin overdose but that the death would not affect her ability to evaluate evidence of Biden’s addiction.

A jury has been seated. The jurors were sworn in at 4:20 p.m. The final list of jurors: Jurors 3, 5, 16, 19, 20, 26, 31, 33, 34, 37, 38, 39. Alternates are: 50, 52, 53, 65. There are six men and six women on the jury. All four alternates are women.

Potential jurors not selected are dismissed for the day.

The set of potential jurors are now those numbered 1 to 47 who have not been struck or excused.

The defense will get 10 peremptory strikes, and the government will get six. They will do three rounds of two defense strikes followed by one prosecution strike, and then they will alternate one each. 

They will also get two strikes per alternate. 

Potential juror #65 said that she previously donated to Barack Obama but that she could be impartial despite Joe Biden’s role as Obama’s VP. She was left in the pool.

Potential juror #63 qualified. She said her daughter and son-in-law are both correctional officers and own guns. She also said she donated to Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Potential juror #62 said she knows Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, and knew Beau, as well.

“Wilmington's a small place,” she said. “Beau was a friend of the family. We miss him.”

A juror was excused after Judge Noreika's case manager alerted the court that a prospective panelist is her cousin.

Potential juror #61 did not have to answer any questions from lawyers and was dismissed based only on that family connection to the court.

Potential juror #59 was excused after he said he didn’t think he could be impartial. 

At 3:35 p.m., there were 36 qualified jurors. The parties will now move on to strikes to narrow this pool down to the 12 jurors plus four alternates.

Jill Biden, who is attending the trial today in support of Hunter Biden, is also celebrating her birthday today. She turns 73.

The trial has resumed after a lunch break.

Judge Noreika did not take the bench back from lunch until 2:55 p.m. The judge brought 20 potential jurors from the second group of 50 potential jurors into the courtroom and read them the voir dire.

She began this process of asking what questions potential jurors have answered yes to over again. They only need two more.

Potential juror #56 was put in the jury pool. He was arrested for DUI in 2012, and there is a history of drug and alcoholism in his family. Members of his extended family own firearms in New Jersey/Pennsylvania. 

Potential juror #57 was excused for work reasons. He’s a traveling salesman in multiple states. 

A man who has played squash with the defendant's brother was excused.

“Beau and I played a squash tournament together,” potential juror #55 told the court.

The prospective juror also said his children have played baseball with Beau’s kids and he knows Hallie Biden.

Of the more than 50 potential jurors who have been examined so far, at least 15 people have said they have a family member, significant other or close friend with substance abuse issues. One said her childhood best friend died of a heroin overdose, while another said his daughter is a recovering addict and that "everybody needs a second chance."

Only one of those 15 people was disqualified after saying that she had strong opinions about gun control and believed that Hunter Biden was being prosecuted in part because his father is the president. The other 14 remain in the jury pool.

Potential juror #54 was excused from the jury pool because she works overnight shifts and is the caretaker of her granddaughter, who is autistic.

Potential juror #53 was put into the jury pool after she said she had only "basic knowledge" of the case as a resident of Delaware. She added that she gets her news from “my dad” and “Twitter,” now known as X. The potential juror added that she didn’t know the case was going to trial today until her father called her as she was driving to the courthouse.

Potential juror #52, a mother with school-age kids, was placed in the jury pool after saying she knows about the case by “seeing what pops up” on the internet, although she hasn’t been reading about it in detail.

An administrative specialist, she said the laws governing who can own guns "should be more strict," adding that she held that view because of mass shootings at schools.

She said she gets her news from Facebook and a local news site, adding, "I put AirPods in my ears, so I don’t have to listen to it. It’s very depressing."

Potential juror #51 was excused for a lack of impartiality, saying he had heard of the witnesses on social media and follows President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Instagram.

He said he believed “not everybody should have that right to own a gun” and said he wasn't sure he could be fair and impartial.

A lunch break was announced. Court will resume at 2:30 p.m.

First lady Jill Biden, who had been sitting in on jury selection since proceedings began this morning, has walked out of the courthouse.

Potential juror #50, whose brother retired from the police force, was qualified after she said she had heard about the case a while ago.

She said she has served on multiple juries, including a police discrimination case and a drunken driving civil suit. 

Potential juror #49 was qualified after saying he had heard about the case “a while back” on the radio and recalled it was about Hunter Biden and a gun.

He said he had previously served as the foreperson of a jury in a sexual abuse case involving a minor, which resulted in a guilty verdict.

Potential juror #48, a retired maintenance mechanic, said he had heard about the case, adding, “I live in Delaware. You can’t swing a cat without hearing something.”

He said his daughter is a recovering addict and "everybody needs a second chance." He added that being a former addict should not preclude you from being allowed to own a gun after recovery.

He also said he could put his feelings aside on the matter. The government moved to strike him because his views on addiction and gun ownership were “antithetical to the law.” But Noreika allowed him to be qualified because he had said he could put his personal feelings aside.

Potential juror #47 was qualified.

He has heard about the case from the news from CNN. When asked if he had formed an opinion, he said he tried not to do that.

He said his wife is a 911 dispatcher in Kent County, which is south of where the trial is taking place in New Castle County. He owns a gun and so does his wife, noting that he bought his at Cabela’s more than 10 years ago. 

Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, asked this potential juror a question that has become a common theme among his questions to gun owners, particularly those who bought their guns locally: Did the sellers walk them through the background check form they filled out during their purchase? This potential juror answered yes, as have the rest of the potential jurors who’ve gotten this question from Lowell.

Potential juror #46 was struck in a joint motion after saying he had seen a lot about the case on social media. He said he knew "Hunter was addicted to drugs" and that the case involved a firearm, adding that he had formed an opinion about the case.

Potential juror #45 was struck in a joint motion from the government and defense.

He said he had heard about the charges on Fox News and was “not so sure” he could give Hunter Biden a fair shake. He added that he read about the case on Newsmax as well.

When asked if he could separate his personal opinions from his ability to judge with impartiality, he told the judge, “Can’t tell you no.”

Potential juror #44 was excused by the judge for a medical reason.

Potential juror #43 was qualified after saying she had “seen headlines” about the case but “haven’t really been following it.” She had a concealed carry permit in Connecticut before moving to Delaware, but no longer has a firearm after the move. Her father was an alcoholic and died 20 or so years ago, she said.

Potential juror #42 qualified without objection. He’s a retired painter who worked mostly in the Washington area.

Progress update: So far 31 of the 36 necessary jurors have qualified for the jury pool (to account for peremptory strikes and alternates).

Potential juror #41 was excused due to a medical issue.

Potential juror #40 was excused for cause. She said she had strong feelings about guns and that she would like to make it harder for people to buy guns that “kill children in schools.” 

“I’d ban them altogether, to be honest,” she said. 

Potential juror #39 was qualified after saying he had an older brother who was addicted to PCP and heroin. His answers made it sound like the two were not close, and he said he didn't know if his brother was still an addict. He also said he doesn’t think people should own guns if they are addicted to drugs.

Potential juror #38 qualified. She said her family hunts and owns rifles, but she doesn’t have any guns.

She said that her childhood best friend died of a heroin overdose, but that would not affect her ability to evaluate evidence of Hunter Biden’s addiction. 

Potential juror #37 was qualified. He said he didn’t know anything about the case until this past weekend, when he mentioned to his brother that he had jury duty in Wilmington today, and his brother said it might be for this case.

“I learned more today” than I already knew, he said. He said he has multiple family members who own guns and a brother and brother-in-law who were alcoholics. Both are now dead. “I know they both had diseases,” he said.

Potential juror #36 was qualified. She said she saw some reporting about the case on the news as recently as this morning, but never guessed this was the case for which she was being called for jury duty.

She said she worked as a drug and alcohol counselor for many years and said she is still close to people in that world. She has some friends and family who have gone through detoxification, but said her work and personal experience would not affect her ability to evaluate the evidence.

Potential juror #35, an older man, was put into the jury pool. He said he lives far away and indicated it would be a hardship to drive the 90 minutes each way every day. When the judge offered to put him up in a hotel during the trial, he said that would cause more problems because his wife's birthday is coming up.

The man indicated he knew about the plea deal that was “offered and accepted and then wasn’t” by watching local news. When the judge asked him if he knew anything more about the case, the man said he didn’t.

When Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell questioned him further about his knowledge of the plea deal, the man said he didn’t know much about it. He was watching the news when it came on because he was just “waiting for the weather,” he said.

Twelve of the 34 people who have been questioned have been excused from the potential jury pool so far.

Potential juror #34, a middle-aged, nonwhite woman, was put into the jury pool. She said she knew about this case “when it came across the screen of the TV” and recognized “the name, that was it.”

She said she owns a firearm and filled out a Pennsylvania form to that effect. She has previously served on a jury in a case related to narcotics and drug possession.

Potential juror #33 was put into the jury pool after saying his father was killed in a gun crime in 2004. He said his brother was arrested for narcotics possession and served a year in jail. The potential juror said he took law classes but did not continue his law education beyond that.

Potential juror #32 was excused for cause after telling the judge her niece is in law school and they had been reviewing this case for the last year or so.

The potential juror said she has read Hunter Biden’s memoir “Beautiful Things.” She said she thinks what she learned from those experiences would influence her opinion. 

Potential juror #31, a younger male, was put into the jury pool. He said his father "owns a few" firearms.

As the trial went to break, Hunter Biden embraced his wife, Melissa, and then had an extended, emotional hug with an older Black man, who sources close to Hunter Biden said was a longtime, very close friend of Joe Biden and the family. The man would not identify himself to NBC News when asked.

Hunter Biden has alternated between looking at the potential jurors, reading documents, and taking on and off his eyeglasses. Before proceedings started, he passed a note written on a piece of paper from a yellow legal pad back to his close friend and former Joe Biden aide, Fran Person.

Potential juror #30 was excused because he has a medical appointment tomorrow.

Potential juror #29 was qualified. He said he heard in the news about Hunter Biden getting a gun and using drugs. He also said his brother had been arrested in New York City for selling illegal drugs and was deported.

He said he has a concealed carry license in Utah, Delaware and Maryland and owns four guns, which he has had since 2013.

People should be allowed to own guns "as long as we do the correct thing" and handle them safely, he said. He said he doesn’t believe someone who uses drugs should own a gun, but also said people should be allowed to own guns if they are no longer using drugs.

Potential juror #28 qualified for the jury pool. He said he has read articles about the case on Delaware Online, the web page of The News Journal in Wilmington, but he generally doesn't pay attention to the news and is "not interested" in it.

He said he's aware of specific details of the case, including that Hunter Biden's gun was found in a trash can behind a grocery store. He said he learned those details from the Delaware Online articles.

The potential juror's brother owns guns and goes skeet shooting, but that doesn’t affect his opinion on guns, he said.

Potential juror #27 was qualified. She said her husband is a police officer in Maryland, but that would not affect her ability to be impartial. She said she had seen some information about Hunter Biden's gun case online at work.

Both of her parents had problems with substance abuse when she was a child, she said, adding that addiction is “a disease.”

She said she doesn’t look down on or judge people who have drug or alcohol problems. Asked by prosecutors if she would be able to hold a person responsible regardless of their “disease,” she said yes. 

Potential juror #26 was placed into the jury pool. He's a middle-aged Black man who has a concealed carry permit in Delaware and Florida. He said he owns several firearms and has owned more than six over his lifetime.

"I believe our Second Amendment is very important," he said.

Potential juror #25 said he was "an acquaintance with the first lady." He said this while Jill Biden was in the room, although it was unclear if he knew the first lady was there.

The man said he also met Joe Biden at several events. The man said he donated to the RNC “recently.” He was also a campaign manager for a city councilman years ago.

He was placed in the pool.

Potential juror #21 was excused prior to voir dire due to the answers on his questionnaire.

Potential juror #24 was excused after saying she had heard a lot about the case from “everything that’s been on the news.” She said she watches CNN, MSNBC, Fox, the evening news and other sources of news and added that she has strong feelings about who should have guns. She said she does not believe that everyone should be allowed to own assault-style rifles, for example.

Potential juror #23 was struck, which the defense motioned for. An older male with accented English, he indicated he would have scheduling difficulties because he teaches summer classes at Delaware State University, and as an immigrant, he did not have much familiarity with U.S. laws. He also said he is not as comfortable with topics outside of his area of expertise in chemistry.

The government did not object to the defense’s motion to strike him. 

Potential juror #22 was excused after he indicated he’s seen a lot on the news and in social media that would give him a negative view of Hunter Biden and would affect his impartiality. 

Potential juror #20 qualified. He's a younger man and a recent graduate who said he believes federal law enforcement has prosecuted due to politics, referring to the civil rights movement.

But he made the distinction that his views were about history, not necessarily about the present and said he "absolutely" could put those beliefs aside in this case.

He also said he received a DUI and pleaded guilty. The government asked if that gave him a negative opinion of law enforcement, and he said it did not.

Potential juror #19 was qualified. She said she doesn’t think that people who smoke marijuana shouldn’t be allowed to own guns.

“Weed to me isn’t as bad as other drugs,” she said, giving heroin as an example.

Potential juror #18 qualified. She said she has a midday doctor's appointment next week and a family trip to the beach that is scheduled to begin next Thursday.

She said she heard about the case on the news but doesn’t “really dig into stuff.” She said her main source of news is "NBC Nightly News" with Lester Holt. 

She had a job interview with the FBI years ago but didn’t get the position. She currently works at a hospital in Delaware as a patient care technician. She also said her dad had alcohol issues and her uncle had drug problems, but both are in recovery and “doing fine.” 

The parties didn’t object to the juror, and she was qualified, but Judge Noreika warned that she will be excused for her vacation next Thursday if court is still in session then.

Potential juror #17 was qualified. She said she didn’t know anyone in the case personally, but recalled she had served John “Jack” Owens, Joe Biden’s brother-in-law, when she was a bartender.

She said she saw Owens in the hallway today and figured she should let the court know about that connection. Her best friend went to rehab three years ago and still attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but she said that would not affect her ability to be impartial.

Potential juror #16 qualified. She said she had heard about the case in general on YouTube but doesn't know much about it otherwise. She also said her mother has bought a gun in the past but she doesn’t know about the paperwork or process that goes into buying a gun in Delaware.

Potential juror #15 was struck for cause. He said he had heard about the case on the news this morning but didn’t know too much about it.

When asked why he answered yes to the question about the Department of Justice prosecuting people based on politics, he said “I think they have” and cited Donald Trump’s New York trial. 

Potential juror #14 was excused for cause after saying she couldn't be impartial. She was a middle-aged woman and she said she heard about this story when “Biden was running for president.”

“I don’t think I could be fair and impartial from my personal opinion," she said.

When prosecutor Derek Hines asked what her personal opinion was, she said, “Not a good one. Sorry."

Hunter Biden's wife, Melissa Cohen, and first lady Jill Biden are seated next to each other beyond Hunter Biden. Cohen is taking copious notes. Hunter Biden is wearing glasses, and is also taking notes and reading through documents at the defense table.

There is no indication the jurors know Jill Biden is here, because they are escorted into the courtroom during this voir dire next to the judge’s bench. While answering these questions, they are standing next to the witness stand.

Potential juror #13 is a middle-aged man with three kids. He said he works in finance.

“I just obviously have seen stuff in the news," he said, but added, “I don’t pay too much attention to it.”

The 12th potential juror was put into the jury pool. 

He is a nonwhite male who had a scheduling concern for next week, but said it was a dentist appointment, and he would try to reschedule. He said he reads The Guardian and CNN, works in retail and is trained in chemistry.

Potential juror #10 was placed in the jury pool while potential juror #11 was excused for his inability to be impartial.

The eighth and ninth potential jurors were excused for cause due to missing work that would cause hardship.

The eighth potential juror was middle-aged and wearing a black mask in court.

The ninth potential juror is a self-employed carpenter and said two weeks without work would lead to being “bankrupt.”

The sixth potential juror qualified for the jury despite an objection from the defense.

She indicated that she has strong views on gun ownership, believing that politicians care “more about money” than gun safety. Judge Noreika had to ask her multiple times if she could put aside her views on that to decide on this case impartially.

“I’d try,” she said first before more definitively saying “I would” put those views aside.

The fifth potential juror was qualified with no objections. She worked for the U.S. Secret Service in Washington, D.C., along with her husband, who was uniformed.

When asked by the defense about any deployments with the Secret Service in Washington, she indicated a variety of locations.

The fourth potential juror was struck by the prosecution for financial hardship. She is a full-time, hourly worker and is the sole income earner for her family of three.

The third potential juror qualified with no objections from either party. She said she has heard about the case on "CBS Evening News," which she watches every night as her only regular news source.

She said her sister has a history with drug addiction and was convicted in Delaware for credit card fraud and drug charges about 10 years ago, but is “currently clean.” Nothing about her sister’s history would affect her impartiality, she said.

The second potential juror was qualified without objections from either party. She donated and volunteered for the Hillary Clinton 2008 campaign, but said she could be impartial toward Hunter Biden.

“I don’t see any relation between the politics,” she said in response to the judge’s questions.

The first potential juror on the stand was struck for cause after he said he could not be impartial about the law.

“I believe it’s a God-given right,” he said regarding gun ownership.

Examination of the jurors began around 9:10 a.m. At the start, the judge qualified one juror who had not answered yes to any of the voir dire questions. That potential juror did not take the stand. 

In a statement this morning, President Joe Biden said, “I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today."

"Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us. A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean," he said.

He continued, "As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”

Hunter Biden is seated in the middle of the defense table, with his lawyer Abbe Lowell to his right.

Sitting in the first row behind the defense table is Jack Owen, who is President Joe Biden’s brother-in-law, Kevin Morris, who is Hunter’s friend and benefactor, his half-sister Ashley Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Hunter's wife, Melissa Cohen, and members of the U.S. Secret Service.

When Hunter Biden walked into the courthouse, he had to go through security just like everyone else. In fact, he had to wait about 30 seconds for the metal detector to reset. The court security officer apologized to Hunter for the wait, and Hunter took it in stride, saying “It’s alright!”

Hunter’s attorney Abbe Lowell and his team came into the courthouse with several binders and folders.

Lowell and prosecutors were cordial with each other in the moments before proceedings began.

Hunter Biden walked into the courtroom at just before 8:30 a.m. He motioned to a friend to make sure a seat was saved for his wife, Melissa Cohen. 

Proceedings then began in the main courtroom at 8:47 a.m., but as of 9 a.m., journalists were not allowed inside the main courtroom due to the number of potential jurors filling gallery seats. All journalists were in the overflow room, where the audio-only feed was not working.

Ashley Biden, the daughter of Joe and Jill Biden and the half-sister of Hunter Biden, is also at the courthouse this morning.

First lady Jill Biden arrived at the courthouse at 8:30 a.m. She is the stepmother of Hunter Biden, whose biological mother, Neilia Biden, was killed in a car crash when he was 2 years old.

First lady Jill Biden arrives ahead of Hunter Biden's trial at federal court on June 3, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware. Matt Slocum / AP

Hunter Biden has arrived at the courthouse in Wilmington ahead of jury selection.

02:24

Jury selection is set to begin today in the federal gun case against Hunter Biden in Delaware.

The president's son faces three counts tied to possession of a gun while using narcotics. He has pleaded not guilty.

The beginning of the trial comes just days after the conclusion of a criminal trial against the man his father is running against in the presidential race, former President Donald Trump. Trump was convicted of all 34 counts against him in state court in New York.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika said she plans on calling potential jurors in groups of 50 until they’re able to find 12 people who say they can be impartial when it comes to Hunter Biden.

Read the full story here.

President Joe Biden is starting his day in Wilmington, where the trial is taking place.

Later in the day, he'll head to White Plains, New York, and continue on to Greenwich, Connecticut, for a campaign reception.

Hunter Biden's trial is starting just days after the ninth anniversary of his brother Beau Biden's death. Beau Biden died in 2015 after a battle with brain cancer.

The president commemorated the anniversary in church and by visiting the cemetery where his son is buried.

Biden visited the house of Beau Biden's wife, Hallie Biden, last week, as well. She is expected to be called to testify for the prosecution.

Jury selection starts today and is expected to last one or two days. Ultimately, 12 jurors and four alternates will be selected.

About 250 prospective jurors could be evaluated to serve on the jury.

Noreika will ask prospective jurors to answer dozens of questions about their knowledge of the case and the topics that will be discussed, such as guns, addiction and politics.