After Donald Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, was seen partying with her client in New Hampshire after telling court she had a fever, there were expectations that the court would begin with a swift reprimand.
If there was one, it didn't happen in public view.
Trump arrived promptly at the courthouse at 10 a.m.. The proceedings were scheduled to begin at 9:30. Both teams of lawyers were seated as was Judge Lewis Kaplan, who entered court three minutes before 10 and had welcomed the jury before the defendant's arrival.
When Trump finally took his seat at the table, the judge made a note of it for the record.
The questioning began with one of E. Jean Carroll's former bosses at Elle Magazine, who gave insight into her profession and integrity as a journalist.
Trump has already been found liable of sexually abusing Carroll at an earlier trial last year. This trial regards separate defamatory comments about this same attack. The judge has already found Trump liable, meaning the jury is considering damages.
Robbie Myers, Elle's editor-in-chief, took the stand and briefly answered questioned from Carroll's lawyer before Habba did her cross-examination.
A rough transcript from Josh Russell at Courthouse News and Matthew Russell Lee for Inner City Press revealed clashes between Habba and the judge began less than an hour into the proceedings.
Habba asked Myers about "gossip," which is inadmissible in court under "hearsay" rules.
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She went on to question what it meant to be a legitimate journalist.
"So that’s being a fact-checking journalist?" she asked.
Carroll’s lawyer objected, and the judge sustained it.
"So, what —" Habba began before being shut down by the judge.
"I have ruled. Move on," Kaplan told her.
"No more questions," Habba replied, sitting down.
Carroll's lawyer then began admitting recent videos into evidence showing Trump continuing to attack Carroll publicly, despite the ongoing trial.
