Jury selection begins Monday in Fort Pierce, Fla., in the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, who is accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024. Jury selection is expected to wrap up Wednesday.
Prospective jurors are drawn from voter rolls and driver’s license records in the Southern District of Florida. They are brought in and questioned under oath — a process known as voir dire — to determine whether they can be fair and impartial. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is leading the prosecution.
Both prosecutors and Routh, representing himself, will question jurors directly — an unusual dynamic that could make proceedings unpredictable.
Both sides can challenge jurors “for cause” if bias is clear. They also get a limited number of peremptory strikes, where they can dismiss jurors without giving a reason, so long as it’s not discriminatory.
A 12-person jury, plus alternates, will be seated. Federal law requires a unanimous verdict for conviction.
Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, along with assaulting a federal officer and a string of gun violations. Federal prosecutors say the counts carry a potential life sentence if he’s found guilty. He has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, as well as separate state counts of terrorism and attempted murder.
Trump is not a defendant in this case.
Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved Routh’s request to act as his own attorney, though court-appointed lawyers will remain on standby to step in if needed.
Federal public defenders representing Routh sought Cannon’s recusal, citing her prior involvement in Trump’s classified documents case. Court filings show that request was denied, keeping Cannon — randomly assigned to the case — on the bench.
Prosecutors say Routh spent weeks plotting the attack, even camping out near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle. A Secret Service agent spotted the weapon and opened fire after Routh allegedly aimed at him, forcing Routh to drop the gun and run. Months later, investigators said they found a letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh admitted regret that he failed to kill Trump. Court filings also allege that just weeks before his arrest in August 2024, Routh was trying to obtain anti-aircraft weapons and hire someone to monitor Trump’s flights.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Sept. 11 and the trial is expected to last two weeks.
By Fox News
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