Jury selection began Monday in Fort Pierce, Florida, in the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Wesley Routh, who is accused of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are leading the case. Court officials said prospective jurors, drawn from voter rolls and driver’s license records, are being questioned under oath in a process known as voir dire to determine whether they can serve impartially. Jury selection is expected to wrap up Wednesday, with a 12-person jury plus alternates to be seated; federal law requires a unanimous verdict for conviction.
The charges against Routh include attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms violations. Federal prosecutors say the counts carry a potential life sentence if he is convicted. Routh has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges and faces separate state counts of terrorism and attempted murder.
Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by former President Trump, has approved Routh’s request to represent himself, though court-appointed attorneys remain on standby to step in if necessary. Federal public defenders had sought Cannon’s recusal, citing her prior involvement in a separate classified documents case involving Mr. Trump; the court denied that request, keeping Cannon on the bench.
Both prosecutors and Routh, acting pro se, will directly question prospective jurors — a courtroom dynamic that attorneys say is relatively uncommon and could add unpredictability to the proceedings. Both sides may challenge jurors “for cause” when bias is apparent and have a limited number of peremptory strikes to dismiss jurors without stating a reason, provided the strikes are not discriminatory.
Court filings by prosecutors outline allegations that Routh spent weeks plotting the attack, including camping near the golf course for roughly 12 hours while armed. According to the filings, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle and opened fire after Routh allegedly aimed the weapon, forcing him to drop the gun and flee. Investigators later found a handwritten letter addressed "Dear World" in which Routh, prosecutors say, expressed regret that he had failed to kill Mr. Trump. The filings also allege that weeks before his August 2024 arrest, Routh attempted to acquire anti-aircraft weaponry and sought to hire someone to monitor the former president’s flights.
Opening statements in the trial are scheduled to begin Sept. 11, and the proceedings are expected to last about two weeks. Trump is not a defendant in the case.
As jury selection continues, the court will determine whether Routh can obtain a jury that can fairly weigh the allegations against him while balancing the unusual circumstance of a self-represented defendant in a matter that has drawn intense public attention.