Jury selection in the trial of President Biden's son Hunter turned into an painful indictment of the nation’s drug epidemic, with person after person telling the court of their loved ones’ battles with addiction. Judge Maryellen Noreika swore in a dozen jurors and four alternates. Biden is on trial for three felony gun charges a few months before his father seeks a second term in the White House in November, reports the Washington Post. A substitute teacher, a former Secret Service employee and several gun owners were among those chosen. Six jurors are men and the other six were women. Most were people of color, and their ages appeared to range from the mid-20s to 70s.
During the hours of screening, Biden sat with his lawyer at the defense table, while his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, first lady Jill Biden and other relatives and family friends sat nearby in the gallery. The responses of dozens of prospective jurors to questions in open court reflected some of the most pervasive and divisive issues in society, with jurors discussing their views on gun ownership and mistrust of the judicial process. In a trial where the criminal defendant has been public about his struggles with drug addition, the jurors told the court about similar battles fought by their parents, children and friends. Many offered their own versions of a written statement from President Biden, who did not come to the courthouse. He said he found his son’s recovery from addiction inspiring and knew that many families of addicts could relate to Hunter Biden’s journey. “My daughter’s been given a second chance,” said one prospective juror who was not chosen for the panel, but like many others said his experience watching a family member struggle with drugs would not prevent him from judging Hunter Biden fairly. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”