Georgia Judge Rules That Trump Trial Juror Names Be Kept Private

Jurors will not be publicly identified by name the sweeping election-racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants, a Georgia judge ruled on Monday.

Jurors in the case "shall be identified by number only in court filings or in open court during the pendency of trial," Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote in a two-page order issued Monday.

McAfee's order came in response to a motion by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who had raised concerns about the safety of the jurors in the high-profile proceedings.

In her Sept. 6 motion seeking to keep the jurors' identities private, Willis cited fears that the defendants in the case’s right to a fair trial would "be endangered if the identities of the jurors become known to the public" during the upcoming trial.

In addition to the names of jurors and prospective jurors, McAfee's order prohibits parties from disclosing their addresses, telephone numbers or identifying employment information.

Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee hears motions from attorneys representing Ken Chesebro and Sidney Powell in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. AP photo/Jason Getz, Pool

Willis had requested that McAfee issue a court order prohibiting any defendants in the case, members of the press, and anyone else present from being allowed to videotape, photograph, draw, or recreate or publish images of both selected and prospective jurors inside and outside the courtroom.

McAfee only partially granted Willis' motion, declining to issue a wholesale ban on capturing images of jurors. McAfee's order states that videotaping or photographing the jurors will not be allowed "in any manner that would violate" Rule 22, the court's standing order on use of electronic devices in courtrooms and recording judicial proceedings.

Trump, who is accused of 13 felony counts in the case, has pleaded not guilty, as have each of his co-defendants in the case.

In his order Monday, McAfee canceled a hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday on Willis' motion to protect juror identities, ruling that it was "no longer necessary."