Although former President Donald Trump vociferated on his Truth social network against Colombian judge Juan Merchán, who will see his case for the irregular payment of $130,000 dollars to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, he has been described by other robed officials as a serious, upright and with temper.
Merchán, 61, who has lived in the United States since he was 6, will preside over the proceedings against the Republican in the Manhattan Supreme Court where he is expected to face up to 30 charges of document fraud related to the payment to Daniels before the elections of the 2016 to allegedly keep quiet about a sexual encounter with the tycoon.
“The judge ‘assigned’ to my witch-hunt case (…) HATES ME,” Trump shared yesterday. “This is Juan Manuel Merchán, handpicked by (New York prosecutor) Alvin Bragg and his prosecutors,” he added.
Merchán is not the only one who has received insults from Trump; Bragg too.
Trump has called Bragg a racist, politically motivated and an “America-hating psycho degenerate.” In addition, he has alleged that Bragg is acting on the orders of investor George Soros.
Amid the controversy, Merchán’s colleagues came to his defense, describing him as a respectable judge.
“He is a serious, intelligent and temperate jurist,” said Ron Kuby, a lawyer in Manhattan. “He is not one of those judges who yells at the lawyers and he is not known as a mindless judge. He is always in control of the room, ”Kuby highlighted as quoted by NBC News.
For his part, Barry Kamins, a former judge who is now a defense attorney, argued that Merchán is known for exhibiting an excellent temperament, integrity and solid knowledge of the law, even in the most difficult cases.
Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the state court system, said Merchán was randomly selected to oversee the investigative grand jury in this case, and that judges assigned to oversee the trial are later assigned to hear cases arising from that group of examiners. .
Merchán had previously led the Trump Organization’s tax evasion case that culminated in the company being fined $1.6 million after being convicted on 17 counts.
In that litigation, the organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, testified against the company as part of a plea agreement.
In this context, Trump also attacked Merchán through the social network, indicating that he is the same person who forced his former financial director to quickly accept a plea agreement when he allegedly had not committed a crime.
It should be noted that although Merchán confirmed the agreement, the admission was a process that took place between Weisselberg, his lawyers and the district attorney’s office.
Nicholas Gravante Jr., who represented Weisselberg in those talks, said the judge treated them with great respect in and out of court.
“He was aware of the role that my colleagues and I had as lawyers, treating each other with the greatest respect in court and behind closed doors,” said Gravante, who also described the judge as practical, efficient, a real listener, well prepared, and a man who he keeps his word.
Merchán told the New York Times that he grew up in a poor home and that his parents had to work different jobs. After migrating to the US, he was able to enter Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, where he graduated from law school in 1994.
In the United States, he has served as a judge of the Family Court of The Bronx and as an interim of the Supreme Court of the State.
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