Judge Juan Merchan became one of the most closely watched figures in Donald Trump’s hush-money case. Now, fresh scrutiny involving his daughter has put the judge and his family back in the spotlight.
Why has Trump repeatedly attacked Merchan?
During the hush-money trial, Trump continued attacking Merchan and violating the gag order. This prompted the judge to expand the order to cover Merchan’s family members and to hold Trump in criminal contempt of court, as per Independent. Donald Trump has described the judge who oversaw his hush-money trial, where he was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as a “certified Trump hater.
This was not his first brush with Trump’s world. He is also the judge for the fraud and money-laundering case against Steve Bannon, a close Trump ally. He added, “He’s not one of those judges who yells at lawyers, and is characterized as a no-nonsense judge. But he’s always in control of the courtroom.”
He was appointed a family court judge in 2006, and since 2009 has presided over criminal matters at the New York County Supreme Court. In 2022, Justice Merchan presided over the tax-fraud trial that led to the conviction of the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Describing him, Manhattan defense attorney Ron Kuby told NBC News, “He’s a serious jurist, smart and even-tempered.
Loren Merchan, Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter, worked as a vice president at Authentic Campaigns until late 2024 and was also named in the investigation. The firm challenged the subpoena with help from a legal team that included former Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara.
