Donald Trump dismisses him as a hateful person, but Judge Juan Merchan who is expected to preside at the former President’s arraignment is a veteran lawyer with a reputation of being both stern and compassionate.
Ron Kuby, a Manhattan defense lawyer, said that Kuby is a serious jurist who is smart and even-tempered. He is not one of those judges that yells at lawyers and is described as a no-nonsense judge. He’s in complete control of the courtroom.”
Barry Kamins is a former New York judge who has become a defense lawyer. He said that his 60-year old former colleague “is well known, even in difficult case to display excellent temperament, integrity, and a solid understanding of the law.”
Trump views Merchan differently, the acting justice of the state Supreme Court who will preside over Tuesday’s arraignment. He will likely also oversee any future trials.
Trump attacked Merchan on his Truth Social social media site, while mispelling the judge’s last name.
“The Judge “assigned” to my Witch Hunt Case, which is a ‘Case’ that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME. Trump claimed that he was Juan Manuel Marchan, and that he had been “hand-picked,” by Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, for the case.
Lucian Chalfen, spokesperson for the state court system, stated that Merchan was randomly assigned to oversee the investigative grand jury. Judges who supervise such probes then get assigned to try any cases that arise from the grand jury.
Trump also complained about how the judge handled the recent tax fraud trial involving Trump Organization. After being found guilty of all 17 charges, the organization was fined $1.6million. In that case, the prosecution’s star witness was Allen Weisselberg (ex-Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer) who testified against Trump Organization as part of a plea deal.
Trump described Merchan on Truth Social as “the same person that ‘railroaded” my 75-year old former CFO Allen Weisselberg to take a plea deal (Plead GUILTY even if not, 90 DAYS fight us in Court, 10 YEARS (life!) in jail. He shackled Allen, something that a judge isn’t allowed to do. He also treated my companies VICIOUSLY, even though they didn’t plead.
Merchan signed Weisselberg’s plea agreement, but the deal was reached between Weisselberg and his lawyers, as well as the office of the district attorney.
Nicholas Gravante Jr. represented Weisselberg during those plea negotiations. He described Merchan in a different way than Trump’s online attack.
Gravante stated that Merchan was practical, efficient, a true ‘listener’, well-prepared, and kept his word.
Gravante requested Merchan to reduce the sentence of Weisselberg, which he had agreed to for five months, at Weisselberg’s January sentencing. Gravante asked Merchan for a shorter sentence, but the judge declined, saying that he thought a harsher sentence was appropriate after hearing the evidence in the case. However, he felt obliged to keep the August deal.
Gloria Allred, a Trump critic lawyer, stated that Merchan is the “right Judge” in the hush-money case due to his experience with the Trump Organization trial. However, she believes that Merchan’s experience may be the reason the defense seeks another judge for this case.
At Tuesday’s arraignment, Trump’s indictment is set to be unveiled. He’s also expected to plead guilty. Trump is the first ex-president to be criminally charged.
Arthur Aidala is a former criminal defense lawyer and has been critical of Bragg’s investigation into the hush-money payments. He said that Trump should be happy about Merchan’s oversight of the case.
Merchan is “respected as a fair judge, who doesn’t lean in one direction or another.” Aidala stated that it was a great place for President Trump.
Merchan was born in Bogota in Colombia. He moved to the United States when he was six years old with his family and grew up as a Queens resident. According to The New York Times, his parents were the ones who first offered him a job as a grocery cart driver for tips.
Merchan worked side jobs throughout high school and college. He was a dishwasher at a diner, and night manager at a hotel. Merchan then earned a business degree in 1990 from Baruch College and a law degree in 1994 from Hofstra University. After five years at the Manhattan district attorney’s Office, Merchan moved to the state attorney general’s Office. They would both be involved in a joint inquiry into Trump’s finances a little over a dozen years later.
In 2006, then-New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg named Merchan as a Bronx family court judge. In 2009, Merchan was appointed an acting justice of the Supreme Court. He is responsible for overseeing felony criminal cases.
Merchan presided over two cases that were the most significant before the Trump Organization case. One involved a murder suspect who claimed he was cursed by a witch physician, and the other involved a woman who was nicknamed the ” soccer mum madam” in one of the city tabloids.
After Merchan denied Merchan’s request that he be allowed to call a witch physician to testify for him, the witch doctor case ended abruptly. Merchan sentenced defendant to 25 years imprisonment.
A suburban woman was accused of running an expensive prostitution ring. Anna Gristina eventually admitted to one count of prostitution promotion in exchange for a six month sentence. Merchan approved the sentence and signed the agreement, but she chastised her for bringing her nine-year-old daughter to court.
This case inspired the 2021 Lifetime movie, ” Soccer Mum Madam“.
Merchan is currently overseeing the criminal case against Steve Bannon (ex-Trump White House adviser), who’s accused of defrauding donorswho gave money to build a wall along the southern U.S. Border. Bannon has pleaded guilty.
