New York Judge Tells Jurors They Must Find Trump Not Guilty If ‘Burden of Proof’ Isn’t Met

The judge overseeing the so-called “hush-money” trial involving former President Donald Trump made several statements directly to the jury, saying that the former president should be found not guilty if the burden of proof isn’t met as he went over the rules of the trial on Monday. “Whatever your verdict may be, it must not rest on baseless speculation,” Justice Juan Merchan told the jury on Monday as opening arguments in the case are due to begin. The jury’s verdict cannot be “influenced in any way” by personal bias, he said. “I remind you throughout these proceedings that the defendant is presumed to be innocent,” he said, adding that “the burden of proof never shifts” from the prosecution to the defense....