Hunter Biden's trial on federal gun charges

President Joe Biden issued a statement of support for his son Hunter Biden as the trial against him began Monday morning.

Biden said that since he is president, he “won’t comment on pending federal cases,” but did express his “boundless love” for Hunter Biden. He also said he and first lady Jill Biden “are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”

The full statement from President Joe Biden: “I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us. A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean. As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”

Hunter Biden arrives at federal court on Monday, June 3 in Wilmington, Delaware. Matt Slocum/AP

The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s gun trial dealt his defense two setbacks Sunday, on the eve of jury selection, by blocking one of his expert witnesses and excluding a key piece of evidence the president’s son hoped to use.

The rulings from Judge Maryellen Noreika resolved some of the sticking points that were still simmering. Taken together, these decisions could make a tough case for Hunter Biden even more challenging to win. President Joe Biden’s son has pleaded not guilty to illegally buying and owning a gun while abusing illicit drugs.

Noreika granted a request from special counsel David Weiss to block one of Hunter Biden’s expert witnesses from testifying. The defense had lined up a Columbia University-based psychiatrist who would’ve tried to poke holes in prosecutors’ assertions that Hunter Biden knew he was an addict in 2018 when he bought the gun that led to his indictment.

The judge also blocked Hunter Biden’s lawyers from using what they thought was a key piece of exculpatory evidence: an altered version of the federal firearms form he filled out when he bought the gun in 2018 that was tweaked in 2021 by the gun store employees.

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The Hunter Biden trial began Monday with jury selection at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware.

Judge Maryellen Noreika gaveled in the proceedings at 8:45 a.m. ET.

The large jury pool of Delaware residents was sworn in for the jury selection process, where prospective jurors will be quizzed about their political activities, their thoughts on gun control and addiction, and their ability to judge the case impartially.

First lady Jill Biden is attending the trial against Hunter Biden in Delaware. The first lady entered the courtroom Monday morning as jury selection is set to kick-off shortly.

Jill and Hunter, surrounded by Secret Service agents, greeted each other with a hug as attorneys in the case discussed courtroom logistics.

Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden is also in attendance.

First lady Jill Biden arrives ahead of Hunter Biden's trial at federal court on Monday, June 3, in Wilmington, Delaware. Matt Slocum/AP

First lady Jill Biden arrived at the courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, where the first day of jury selection in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial is set to begin.

Hunter Biden arrived at court in Wilmington, Delaware, at 8:09 a.m. for the first day of jury selection in his federal gun trial.

Biden, 54, is accused of illegally purchasing and possessing a gun in 2018 while abusing drugs, a violation of federal law. He pleaded not guilty to the three charges, though he has been open about his struggles with alcohol and crack cocaine addiction.

So much of the 2024 presidential election cycle has been caught up in the legal sphere, with the four criminal prosecutions against former President Donald Trump, the Hunter Biden trial this week, and various Supreme Court hearings on Trump and abortion, among others.

What most of these have in common is a lack of public access on some level.

Trump's criminal trial in New York allowed no TV or audio, meaning news coming out of the courtroom was via email, messaging clients or social media from reporters in the courthouse, despite its historic nature.

Hunter Biden's trial access will be even more limited. Journalists will not be allowed to have electronics in the Wilmington federal courthouse to send out information in real time, and will instead have to leave the building or use runners to relay news to the public.

US President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden disembark from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, on February 4, 2023. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

Hunter Biden is President Joe Biden’s youngest son, and his indictment last September marked the first time in US history that the Justice Department has charged the child of a sitting president. 

Hunter Biden has had a longtime battle with crack cocaine addiction — which he and the president have publicly spoken about — and it is at the center of this case. 

He has been charged with making false statements on a federal firearms form and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person related to a gun he purchased in 2018 despite struggling with crack addiction at the time of purchase — and then lying about it on the form. 

In a 2021 memoir, Biden detailed a 2018 relapse, how meeting his wife Melissa Cohen eventually led him to seek help, and the support of his father, including an intervention led by the president and first lady at their Delaware home. 

Hunter Biden is a graduate of Yale Law school and spent several years at a law and lobbying firm, worked at the US Commerce Department, and as a part of the board of directors at Amtrak, among other gigs. 

He also served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, which Republicans have used to tout unverified bribery allegations against him and the president. 

CNN’s Daniel Dale contributed to this post.