‘Trump Did Not Receive A Fair Trial From Judge Juan Merchan’: Former Judge Alleges During Hearing
In a recent hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, a former judge has alleged that former President Donald Trump did not receive a fair trial under Judge Juan Merchan in New York County Supreme Court. The judge, who served in criminal courts in New York City for nearly 30 years, detailed several concerns about the trial’s conduct and Judge Merchan’s decisions.
Legal Insufficiency of Indictment
According to the former judge, the indictment against Trump was legally insufficient. It allegedly failed to specify the underlying crime Trump was accused of concealing by falsifying business records. The former judge argued that this omission should have led to the indictment’s dismissal before the trial even began, as it left Trump unable to adequately prepare his defense.
Problems with Additional Charges
During the trial, charges that were not included in the original indictment were reportedly added. The former judge criticized this move, suggesting it deprived Trump of a fair opportunity to prepare for these additional charges, thus violating his right to fundamental fairness and notice of the charges he faced.
Issues with Jury Instructions
The former judge also pointed to issues with the jury instructions given by Judge Merchan. These instructions reportedly included non-unanimous verdicts and additional charges that were not part of the original indictment. The former judge emphasized that a non-unanimous verdict is unprecedented in American felony trials and argued that it undermined the fairness of the trial.
Concerns About Judicial Conduct
Further criticism was directed at Judge Merchan’s impartiality. The former judge claimed that Merchan should have recused himself due to the appearance of impropriety linked to his political contributions and his daughter’s political activities. Despite ethics opinions clearing him of actual misconduct, the former judge suggested that these factors created a conflict of interest.
Based on these points, the former judge expressed a strong belief that Trump’s trial was fundamentally unfair and fraught with errors that warrant a reversal of the conviction. He concluded that, given the issues outlined, it is difficult to argue that Trump received a fair trial under Judge Merchan’s oversight.
The former judge’s assertions have sparked significant debate and scrutiny, with potential implications for the legal proceedings surrounding Donald Trump’s case.
