Former US President Donald Trump has entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony charges before Colombian immigrant Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday, according to reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Merchan, 60, is known for his strong work ethic and commitment to the law. He began working at nine and worked through college to become a judge. Merchan grew up poor in Queens, New York City, and was the first person in his family to attend college.
Before becoming a judge, Merchan worked as a prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney’s office and as a lawyer overseeing civil cases with the New York attorney general’s office. He was appointed to the Bronx Family Court in 2006 and moved in 2009 to the New York Supreme Court, where he handles felony criminal trials as an acting justice. He also presides in mental health and veterans courts.
Despite the intense pressure that any judge presiding in the Trump case would experience, Barry Kamins, a lawyer and retired judge, are confident that Merchan will not allow the circus-like atmosphere outside the courtroom to affect the proceedings in court. Kamins believes Merchan, who exhibits excellent temperament and solid law knowledge, will run a fair and impartial trial.
Several people who spoke with the New York Times have praised Merchan’s strong work ethic and commitment to getting things right. According to Jose A. Fanjul, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney who prosecuted a case before Merchan, he reads every word on every page of every filing and every footnote—and then the cases you cite to him. His fidelity to the law and getting it right lends to him this sort of the moral purpose of what he’s doing that makes it a joy to practice in front of him.
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Merchan’s experience with financial cases made him the logical choice to oversee the Trump Organization trial. In that case, Manhattan jurors convicted the Trump Organization of tax fraud. The company’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, was a witness after pleading guilty to 15 felonies for failing to report $1.76 million in income.
Trump criticized Merchan on Truth Social, his social media platform, citing Weisselberg’s case. Trump wrote, “Merchan ‘is the same person who ‘railroaded’ my 75-year-old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a ‘plea’ deal,” Trump wrote. “He strong-armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, & treated my companies, which didn’t ‘plead,’ VICIOUSLY. APPEALING!”
But Nicholas Gravante, the lawyer who represented Weisselberg in his plea, had good things to say about Merchan in an email to CNN. “Judge Merchan was efficient, practical and listened carefully to what I had to say,” Gravante said in the email. “He was clear in signaling his judicial inclinations, which helped me tremendously in giving Mr. Weisselberg informed legal advice. Judge Merchan was always well prepared, accessible, and—most importantly in the Weisselberg matter—a man of his word. He treated my colleagues and me respectfully in open court and behind closed doors.”
In conclusion, Judge Juan Merchan is a highly respected judge with a strong work ethic and commitment to the law. He has been assigned to oversee the trial of former President Donald Trump, who has entered a not-guilty plea to 34 felony charges. Despite the intense pressure surrounding the trial, Merchan is expected to run a fair and impartial trial and follow the law.