Former President Donald Trump recently attempted to appoint a judge to his own bench. New York Criminal Cases Self-aversion is rejected.
This is the third time Judge Juan Merchant has denied Trump’s request to recuse himself from a case, each of which revolved around the argument that the judge was compromised because his daughter works as a Democratic consultant.
Trump’s Lawyers I made the request first In May 2023, before the case went to trial, Merchant’s daughter argued that he should step down because he had worked as a Democratic consultant supporting President Biden.
Last year, the state ethics commission concluded that “a judge’s impartiality cannot be reasonably questioned based on the business and/or political activities of a judge’s relatives.”
Despite the committee’s conclusion, President Trump again filed a motion to recusal against Merchant in March of this year, claiming that his daughter’s company had supported Democrats’ efforts to exploit the case.
In his most recent request last month, Trump cited the changed circumstances: Mr. Biden was no longer running, and his opponent was now Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump argued that Merchant should be recused because of the work her daughter’s company did to support Harris.
Merchan denied the request again Tuesday in a decision released Wednesday, saying Trump was simply restating claims he and the ethics committee had already rejected.
“Defendant has not provided this court with anything new to consider. Defense counsel has simply reiterated arguments already rejected by this court and the higher courts,” Merchan wrote. “Defense counsel’s reliance on and reliance on his own prior affirmations is so full of inaccurate and unsubstantiated assertions that it is useless.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s attorneys opposed the latest effort, writing in a July letter to the judge that it was “a vexatious and frivolous attempt to reopen the matter.”
Opinion of all jurors Trump’s guilty verdict May 30th 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors allege that while he was president, he concocted a scheme to hide payments made to a lawyer who had wired “hush money” to adult film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election to keep voters from learning about the alleged extramarital affair. Trump has denied the encounter and has pleaded not guilty.
Trump is tried to overturn the convictionCiting the Supreme Court’s recent “presidential immunity” ruling, Merchan will rule on the effort on September 6.
If the conviction is not overturned, President Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18.
