Hunter Biden trial live updates: Jury seated for opening statements slated for tomorrow in gun charges case

The jury has been selected in Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware.

Opening statements are expected to begin on Tuesday. One juror who used to play squash with the late Beau Biden was dismissed as he said he couldn’t be impartial.

A gun owner with previous convictions was removed from the process after he said he would not be able to be impartial in a case regarding someone who was prohibited from owning a gun for something they did in their past.

The son of President Joe Biden stands accused of having bought a handgun on 12 October 2018 while being an active user of crack cocaine.

The prosecutors will be relying on Biden’s memoir to make the case that he was a drug user when he bought a handgun at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington on 12 October 2018.

While Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, didn’t mention buying a firearm in his memoir Beautiful Things, he did outline his drug use. Prosecutors have called the book “incriminating.”

Key Points

• Statement from President Joe Biden

• Jill Biden turns up to support Hunter at his gun trial in Delaware

• PHOTOS: Biden family members arrive at court on opening day of trial

• Jury selection process begins

• Hunter Biden dealt major blow to case on eve of federal gun trial

Jury selected, opening statements expected tomorrow

21:26 , Gustaf Kilander

The jury has been selected in Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware.

Opening statements are expected to begin on Tuesday. One juror who used to play squash with the late Beau Biden was dismissed as he said he couldn’t be impartial.

A gun owner with previous convictions was removed from the process after he said he would not be able to be impartial in a case regarding someone who was prohibited from owning a gun for something they did in their past.

The witnesses

21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The prosecution has said they may call as many as a dozen witnesses, according to The Washington Post.

They have indicated that they may call three of Biden’s former partners – Kathleen Buhle, whom he married in 1993 and divorced in 2017, Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau Biden, and a woman named as Zoe Kasten, according to Politico.

In the book, Biden referred to his relationship with his brother’s widow as “an affair built on need, hope, frailty, and doom.”

The three former partners are all expected to say in testimony that Biden was using crack cocaine around the time that he purchased the gun.

Hallie Biden may also speak about the actual gun, she allegedly found it and threw it away behind a grocery store amid concerns that Hunter Biden may turn it upon himself.

Other possible witnesses include the shop owner who sold Biden the firearm in 2018 and several experts. Biden’s defense attorney Abbel Lowell didn’t rule out Biden himself appearing on the stand but it’s not customary for defendants to testify at their own trials.

Prospective jurors in Hunter Biden's firearms case questioned on gun rights, addiction

20:30 , Claudia Lauer, Michael Kunzelman, Colleen Long, Randall Chase

A federal gun case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter opened Monday with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election. First lady Jill Biden was seated in the front row of the courtroom, in a show of support for her son.

In a statement, the president said he has “boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength.”

“I am the President, but I am also a Dad,” he said, adding that would have no further comment on the case. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today.”

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Prospective jurors in Hunter Biden's firearms case questioned on gun rights, addiction

Family and friends support Hunter Biden as trial begins with jury selection

20:09 , Gustaf Kilander

Hunter Biden was surrounded by family in the courtroom on Monday.

First Lady Jill Biden attended the proceedings for the first few hours, he walked with his wife Melissa Cohen.

His uncle, Jack Owens, was also seen in the courtroom, according to The Washington Post. Also seen was son-in-law Peter Neal, former Joe Biden aide Fran Person, and friend Kevin Morris, a lawyer who has paid some of his legal fees.

Hunter Biden was also spotted hugging family friend Ricky Smith.

34 jurors qualified so far

19:44 , Gustaf Kilander

Thirty-four jurors have qualified for the jury pool, CNN noted. Another two are needed to move on to the next phase, during which the prosecution is allowed to strike a number of jurors without having to give a reason.

The process ends when there’s a jury of 12 as well as four alternates. The judge has indicated that opening statements will begin on Tuesday.

First court sketches released in Hunter Biden gun trial

19:34 , Gustaf Kilander

The prosecution’s case

19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The prosecutors will be relying on Biden’s memoir to make the case that he was a drug user when he bought a handgun at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington on 12 October 2018.

While Biden didn’t mention buying a firearm in his memoir, Beautiful Things, he did outline his drug use. Prosecutors have called the book “incriminating.”

The prosecution has noted that they possibly plan on attempting to prove that Biden used illegal drugs by pointing to texts he sent at the time.

A number of those text messages came from an iCloud account they got access to via a subpoena and others were sourced from a laptop that Biden is reported to have left at a repair shop and never returned to collect.

Biden and some in his orbit have stated for years that material from the laptop cannot be presumed to be authentic. Operatives backing former president Donald Trump have publicized material from the laptop as part of their attacks on Joe Biden.

Allies of Hunter Biden have said that some of the material shared from the laptop has been altered or distorted and they have also never confirmed that Hunter Biden ever dropped anything off at a repair shop.

But prosecutors have said that they have confirmed the authenticity of large parts of the laptop’s content by checking texts and emails with the people Hunter Biden sent them to.

On 22 May, a filing by the prosecution stated that Hunter Biden “has not provided any evidence or information that shows that his laptop contains false information, and the government’s evidence shows the opposite – the defendant’s laptop is real (it will be introduced as a trial exhibit), and it contains significant evidence of the defendant’s guilt.”

‘Hunter Biden is not running for president'

19:10 , Gustaf Kilander

Congressional Democrats rejected comparisons between Hunter Biden’s case and that of former President Donald Trump.

“Hunter Biden is not running for president. President Donald Trump’s running for president,” Rep Jamie Raskin of Maryland said, according to CNN.

“Democrats are not out there saying that Hunter Biden’s trial is a farce, it’s a fraud, it’s rigged. We’re not attacking the justice system,” he added.

“They do that because of the extraordinary cognitive dissonance that a party – which claims to be representing religious piety – has wrapped itself around in an adjudicated sexual assailant and fraudster who just got convicted by a jury of his peers for paying $130,000 in hush money to a porn star right after his fifth child was born,” Raskin said. “That’s where their party is.”

Few prospective jurors with deeper knowledge of case

18:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Shortly before 12.30pm, the judge had gone through 35 prospective jurors, including an ex-bartender, a substitute teacher, and a retired postmaster, according to The Washington Post.

Many of the prospective jurors said they had heard about the case or read headlines about it but hadn’t garnered any deeper knowledge.

The judge has been striking people who say they can’t be impartial regardless of the reason.

The attorneys on both sides will subsequently be able to strike jurors they want removed from the process.

VIDEO: Jury selection begins in Hunter Biden's gun case

18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Juror remembers hearing about failed plea deal

18:12 , Gustaf Kilander

A potential juror and retiree said he had heard about Hunter Biden’s attempted plea deal, which fell apart under scrutiny from the overseeing judge.

“There was an agreement for a negotiated plea. A lot of people were screaming and yelling about it,” the potential juror said, according to CNN.

“And then, boom, they decided to stop it,” he added.

Neither the prosecution nor the defense objected to him being eligible to serve on the jury. The potential juror also said one of his nephews had struggled with addiction: “He was a mess … better now.”

The possible sentence

17:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Judge Maryellen Noreika will have a wide selection of possible sentences if Biden is convicted, ranging from probation to what the Department of Justice has said is the maximum sentence – a quarter of a century behind bars. But the latter remains unlikely.

New York criminal defense lawyer Peter Tilem told Politico that federal sentencing guidelines for defendants in situations similar to Biden’s recommend prison terms of at least 15 months. The defense would also argue that in the years since the alleged crime took place, Biden has significantly improved his life.

Biden could remain out on bail during any appeals process.

Trump’s hush money case referenced during jury selection

17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Who is the judge in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial?

17:10 , Ariana Baio

Hunter Biden is now on trial in Wilmington, Delaware, for gun-related federal charges – and it’s a Donald Trump appointee overseeing his case.

District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, 57, was initially assigned to the case, brought by special counsel David Weiss, back in June 2023.

At the time, the president’s son was expected to take a plea deal after striking an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to lesser tax charges and avoid the gun charges altogether.

But the federal judge was thrust into the spotlight when she suddenly rejected the deal in the 11th hour – calling it “not standard.”

Judge Noreika’s decision caused Biden’s cases to be split, leading to a three-count indictment on gun-related charges in Delaware and a nine-count indictment on federal tax charges in Los Angeles.

Now, the judge continues to preside over Biden’s case in Delaware where he is accused of lying about his previous drug use on a federal firearm purchasing form.

So who is the judge overseeing this historic first trial of President Joe Biden’s son?

Who is the judge in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial?

VIDEO: How Hunter Biden has come to face jurors on federal gun charges

16:50 , Gustaf Kilander

About 250 prospective jurors to become jury of 12

16:33 , Gustaf Kilander

About 250 Delawareans have been called for jury duty, the judge said, according to CNN. That large group will be broken down into a final tally of 12 jurors and four alternates.

Prospective jurors will be asked if they can remain impartial regardless of their thoughts on the election in November and if they can keep an open mind regarding Hunter Biden even if they have been able to vote for Joe Biden in the state.

The president was first elected senator in the state in 1971 and has since been up for election in the state as a candidate for vice president and president.

Questions include “Do you believe Hunter Biden is being prosecuted in this case because his father is the President of the United States?” as well as if he’s “not being prosecuted for other crimes because his father is the President?”

VIDEO: Jury selection to begin in Hunter Biden federal gun trial

16:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Questioning of individual jurors

16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The jury selection process moved on to questioning of individual jurors, with one woman who volunteered for Hillary Clinton in 2008 being asked if she could remain impartial.

She said she didn’t see “any relation between the politics,” according to CNN. She told the judge that she would be fair.

VIDEO: Jury selection begins in Hunter Biden's gun trial

15:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Jury selection process begins

15:29 , Gustaf Kilander

The jury selection process began with prospective jurors filling out a questionnaire. The judge then asked some follow-up questions to those who answered yes to some of the questions.

The questions for the jurors so far have been about their personal schedules, opinions on gun ownership, and any possible history of drug addiction in their families, according to The Washington Post.

A gun owner with previous convictions was removed from the process after he said he would not be able to be impartial in a case regarding someone who was prohibited from owning a gun for something they did in their past.

One potential juror said she feels US gun laws aren’t strong enough, but added that she could be impartial. The lawyers said they were unsure if she should be allowed on the jury.

Hunter Biden dealt major blow to case on eve of federal gun trial

15:15 , Rachel Sharp

Hunter Biden has been dealt a major blow to his defense on the eve of his criminal trial on federal gun charges.

In a historic moment for America, the embattled son of the president is set to go on trial today on charges that he illegally bought a gun in 2018 while in the throes of drug addiction.

Jury selection will begin on Monday morning in federal court in Delaware, with the trial expected to last three to five days.

Biden has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

But Biden already looks set to face an uphill battle in the case following a series of 11th-hour rulings handed down by the judge on Sunday night.

In the rulings, US District Judge Maryellen Noreika blocked Biden’s legal team from presenting both a key piece of evidence and testimony from a key expert witness to jurors at his trial.

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Hunter Biden dealt major blow to case on eve of federal gun trial

PHOTOS: Biden family members arrive at court on opening day of trial

15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘Happy Birthday’: Hunter shares joke with first lady in court

14:54 , Gustaf Kilander

Statement from President Joe Biden

14:53 , Gustaf Kilander

Joe Biden

Jill Biden turns up to support Hunter at his gun trial in Delaware

14:52 , Gustaf Kilander

First Lady Jill Biden turned up for Hunter Biden’s trial in Delaware on Monday on charges that he purchased a firearm while allegedly being an active drug user.

The trial began with jury selection on Monday and is expected to last between three and six days.

The prosecutors will be relying on Biden’s memoir to make the case that he was a drug user when he bought a handgun at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington on 12 October 2018.

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Jill Biden turns up to support Hunter at his gun trial in Delaware

14:51 , Gustaf Kilander

Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial.