They heard from top New Jersey government officials. They reviewed scores of personal text messages and emails. They even felt the weight of gold bullion in their hands.
Now, after nearly two months in a chilly federal courtroom in Lower Manhattan, 12 New York State residents will soon have to decide whether Senator Robert Menendez is guilty of participating in an international bribery scheme.
The jury of six men and six women, as well as five alternates, has sat through Mr. Menendez’s federal corruption trial, remaining largely expressionless (and mostly attentive) as the government has detailed its sprawling case against Mr. Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen, and their lawyers have sought to counter it.
At the start of the trial in May, the presiding judge, Sidney H. Stein, swore in 12 jurors and six alternates, after two and half days of jury selection. One juror of the total pool of 18, a woman, was dismissed in late June because of a scheduling conflict. The judge said she had a nonrefundable cruise with her family planned for the end of the month.
The jurors who will soon determine Mr. Menendez’s fate live in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County, and at least half have advanced degrees. (Mr. Menendez is charged in New York because a number of the acts charged in the indictment occurred there, according to prosecutors.)
They include a retired economist, a former Broadway and television actor now working as an entertainment consultant and an investment banker, as well as four people who work in the health care industry.
Their news media tastes include The New York Times, CNN, NPR, ABC and the New York City-based news channel NY1. Some get their news from social media or blogs. One juror relies on the satirical “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Only about a third of the jurors live with spouses, while the others live alone or with immediate family members. The group is also big on exercise; among them are a marathon runner, a skier, a swimmer and a jogger.
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