WASHINGTON — Ahead of his expected appearance this evening in New York as the first U.S. president to stand in that position, former U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to accuse his judge of "hate" and hate. Who is New York Court Judge Juan Merchán who will be the focus of media attention in the coming period?
Merchan is known as a veteran judge with long experience in the judiciary, a former prosecutor who spent 16 years in court. He is expected today to preside over the unprecedented summons proceedings of the former president.
Although he will deal with an unprecedented case in American history (namely bringing a former president to justice), he has recently dealt with more than one file related to Trump, as he has presided over criminal cases against his company and its former chief financial officer, as well as handling the case of one of Trump's former White House aides, Steve Bannon.
The 60-year-old is of Colombian descent, emigrated with his modest family from the country when he was 6, and then grew up and lived in New York City, which today holds one of the highest leadership positions in its judiciary.
Despite emigration and harsh conditions, Merchand was able to make his way through study and learning, the first member of his family to go to university, earning a law degree from Hofstra University in 1994.
In his career, Merchand served as a Manhattan attorney general and the state attorney general's office before former Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed him a family court judge in 2006.
Three years later, Merchan was appointed to the Supreme Court of First Instance in New York. His special duties now include overseeing the Manhattan mental health court where some defendants get a chance to resolve their cases with treatment and supervision, a program he sees as a success story.
It is likely that Merchan will be under immense pressure in the coming period, from the media and Trump supporters (Trumpists), and his handling of this file will represent a milestone in his career.
But Patricia Holmes, a former federal judge in Illinois, advised Merchand to ignore the pressure, not listen to the media, telling him, "You have to do it right. Your decision must be fair, the public must know that it is fair, and then the result is the result. Make sure you stay away from politics, because it's just about the law."
Why did he anger Trump?
No one knows exactly what bases Trump built his position on and accused Judge Merchan of hating him, and some of the reasons for Trump's anger at his new judge may be that Merchan had previously presided over two criminal tax fraud cases linked to Trump's real estate company and his former CFO, both of which led to unfavorable outcomes for Trump's companies.
That judge oversaw the tax fraud case against the Trump Company and its Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg.
Merchand was heavily involved in the negotiations that led to Weisselberg's guilty plea in 2022 for circumventing taxes on large job privileges, including Manhattan apartments and school education.
Under the deal, Weisselberg was sentenced to 5 months in prison in exchange for agreeing to testify against the company.
Trump did not accuse himself of the case, but when it came time for closing arguments, Merchand allowed prosecutors to claim that Trump was aware of the tax fraud maneuvers. The judge said he wanted to keep politics out of the trial, which he conducted in a very moderate and gentle tone.
Separately, Steve Bannon, a former White House strategist in the Trump administration, was one of those who confronted Judge Mershan.
Bannon, who is accused of deceiving donors who gave money to build a southern U.S. border wall, called the case "nonsense" before the former president pardoned him hours before leaving the White House along with dozens of others.