Judge in Trump NY Case Refuses Recusal Request

The Judge Denies Donald Trump’s Request for Recusal in Hush Money Case

In a recent development, the judge overseeing​ Donald Trump’s hush money case in New York has​ denied the ‌former president’s request to recuse himself.

President Trump ​filed a motion ​for New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to step away‌ from the case, citing a potential conflict of interest due to Justice Merchan’s daughter’s involvement with a progressive group and President Joe Biden’s 2020 ‌campaign.

In a six-page decision​ on‍ Aug. 11, Justice Merchan firmly stated that President Trump failed‌ to provide concrete reasons for recusal and that the speculative ⁣scenarios presented fell short of the legal ⁣standard.

Related ⁢Stories

• Everything We Know About Juan Merchan, the Judge Overseeing Trump’s Arraignment ‌- 4/4/2023
• Bragg Moves ⁣to Block Trump’s Request‍ to Move ‘Hush Money’ Case to​ Federal Court – 6/1/2023
• FEC Drops Investigation Into Stormy Daniels Hush Money Payments – 5/7/2021
• Judge‌ Dismisses Stormy Daniels’ Hush Money Suit Against Trump ⁤ – 3/8/2019
• Former⁣ FEC Chairman: Trump Lawyer’s Hush Money Is ⁣Not a Campaign ‍Contribution -⁤ 4/12/2018

President ⁢Trump also argued that the court had​ previously⁣ encouraged Allen ​Weisselberg,​ The⁣ Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer, ‍to cooperate against him, suggesting ‌a bias. However, Justice Merchan dismissed ⁣this ⁢claim, ​stating that it weakened the plausibility of the ⁣recusal request.

Regarding ⁢alleged‍ campaign ‌contributions made by New York’s highest court, President Trump contended that they could create an appearance‌ of impartiality. Justice Merchan,​ however, clarified that the court is not required to disclose its ‍contributions and that the ‌donations made more than two years‍ ago⁢ do⁤ not reasonably imply bias.

Justice Merchan concluded his ​opinion by affirming the court’s commitment to fairness and impartiality, stating that recusal would⁢ not be in the public interest.

In ⁤addition to the hush money case, President Trump is facing ​federal indictments⁢ related to mishandling classified information and​ attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential⁤ election. It is expected that he will face another indictment for similar charges in ⁤Georgia.