ORDER IN THE COURT: Lawyers for Donald Trump have been digging into the social media history of prospective jurors looking to eliminate them, but seven of a likely 18 jurors have been seated in the former president’s Stormy Daniels payoff case. It’s gone much faster than expected.

  One woman was excused for a social media post in which she cheered Trump’s legal loss over the travel ban enacted while he was president. “Good news!!,” the post said. “Trump lost his court battle on his unlawful travel ban!!!,” and added “Get him out, and lock him up.”

  Even so, Judge Juan Merchan expressed displeasure that the lawyers were researching posts from years past.

  Trump at times displayed visible frustration. Judge Merchan scolded him for muttering and gesturing while one of the potential jurors was being interviewed. “I won’t tolerate that,” Merchan said in a raised voice after the potential juror had left the room. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.”

  Trump continues his rants in front of the television cameras. Yesterday he said, “Every legal pundit, every legal scholar says this trial is a disgrace.” He caimed, “There’s not one that we’ve been able to find that says this should be a trial.”

  Out on the campaign trail, Joe Biden poked fun at Trump. He said, “The other day a defeated looking guy came up to me and asked if I could help, drowning in debt, and I said, “Sorry Donald, can’t help you.’”

MUZZLED: The University of Southern California cancelled the graduation speech by their valedictorian, a pro-Palestinian Muslim of Indian heritage, because they say they are worried about security at the event.

  Andrew Guzman, the university provost, said discussion about the choice of the valedictorian “has taken on an alarming tenor.” Guzman said, “The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at the commencement.”

  The student, Asna Tabassum, said the school was “succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.” The Los Angeles Times reported that the controversy seemed to stem from Tabassum posting a link to a pro-Palestinian website. She said the university did not inform her of any security threats. 

OBSTRUCTION: Conservatives on the Supreme Court appeared skeptical yesterday about the federal statute used to charge roughly 350 January 6^th rioters as well as Donald Trump. 

  The law makes it a crime to “corruptly” alter or destroy documents and records related to an official proceeding. It also makes it a crime to otherwise obstruct or impede official proceedings, including a congressional proceeding. The statute has been used to prosecute more than 350 people involved in the insurrection. 

  The argument was brought to the Supreme Court by Joseph Fischer, a former police officer charged in the riot, who claims the law was never meant to be a catchall obstruction law. The law was enacted after the 2002 Enron energy company scandal that involved massing shredding of documents.

  During the riot, Congress suspended certifying the 2020 election and ran for their lives. But Justice Clarence Thomas noted that there have been other violent protests that interfered with official proceedings and asked whether federal prosecutors “applied this provision to other protests in the past.”

  Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that if this statute doesn’t seem to be an exact match for the January 6th attack it’s because there had never been an event like this before.

THE SPIN RACK: Senate Democrats are expected move quickly to dismiss the impeachment charges brought by Republicans in the House against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. — Volkswagen workers in Tennessee are voting this week on whether to unionize. If they do it’s an historic turn for the South. The UAW has previously tried and failed twice to unionize VW. — A year’s worth of rain fell in one day in some areas of Oman and the United Arab Emirates. About 5 ½ inches fell in just 24 hours. Nineteen people were killed in flooding and operations were disrupted at the Dubai airport. 

BELOW THE FOLD: The Daily Beast has hired a reporter whose sole job will be to cover Lauren Sanchez, the former television reporter engaged to marry Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.

  The reporter, Joanna Coles, told The NY Post, “I’ve never seen anybody land on the radar of Americans as fast and as brilliantly as Lauren Sanchez. I think everybody I know is completely fascinated by her.” 

  Not everyone. Restaurateur Keith McNally who owns Balthazar in New York called the busty and buff Sanchez on Instagram “ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING.” 

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