In the Manhattan hush-money payments case involving former President Trump, Judge Juan Merchan has denied a request from Trump’s legal team for his recusal and asserted his capacity to remain impartial.
Judge Merchan’s opinion dismissed the arguments put forth by Trump’s lawyers, who had pointed to minor donations made by Merchan to Democratic causes during the 2020 election as grounds for recusal. The case centers around allegations of hush money payments made by Trump to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before his 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump’s legal team had alleged bias, highlighting Judge Merchan’s daughter’s role in a digital firm that provided services to President Biden’s campaign. However, Merchan rejected these claims and referenced the findings of the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, which he had consulted before the recusal request.
The advisory committee had concluded that there was no indication that the case’s outcome could impact the judge’s relative, their relative’s business, or their interests.
Merchan addressed the bias allegations and noted that Trump’s legal team had failed to present a compelling argument.
“Defendant has not demonstrated the existence of concrete or credible reasons that would necessitate recusal, let alone make it obligatory, based on these grounds,” Merchan wrote. “The speculative and hypothetical scenarios presented by Defendant do not meet the legal threshold.”
The trial is slated to begin in March 2024 and is one of the four indictments currently facing the former president.