Judge Juan Merchan Denies Trump’s Request for Recusal in Manhattan Criminal Case

In a significant ruling on Wednesday, the judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan, Justice Juan Merchan, rejected the former president’s latest attempt to have him removed from the case. Trump had argued that Merchan should step aside due to what he described as a conflict of interest involving the judge’s daughter, who has professional ties to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Merchan’s decision ensures that he will remain on the case through Trump’s sentencing, scheduled for September 18, following the jury’s conviction of Trump on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. These charges stem from Trump’s efforts to conceal a hush money payment made to a porn star.

Trump’s Repeated Recusal Attempts

Before the hush money trial commenced earlier this year, Trump had already filed two motions requesting Merchan’s recusal, both of which were unsuccessful. In late July, following his conviction, Trump’s legal team mounted a third effort, citing Merchan’s daughter’s work with Authentic Campaigns Inc., a company involved in Harris’ political campaigns.

However, Merchan dismissed these claims as “stale and unsubstantiated,” noting that they were essentially identical to Trump’s previous arguments. He emphasized that “innuendo and mischaracterizations do not a conflict create,” criticizing Trump’s legal team for repeatedly raising the same issue without providing new evidence or reasoning.

Merchan’s Ruling and Advisory Committee Opinion

In his ruling, Merchan also referenced an opinion issued in May 2023 by a New York advisory committee on judicial ethics, which responded to Merchan’s inquiry regarding his daughter’s political work. The committee affirmed that “a judge’s relatives remain free to engage in their own bona fide independent political activities,” thereby dismissing any notion of a conflict of interest in this case.

Merchan’s decision underscores his commitment to impartiality and the integrity of the judicial process, as he prepares to oversee Trump’s sentencing next month.