Former President Donald Trump’s legal battle has hit a new milestone as New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has firmly rejected Trump’s request for recusal in the hush-money case that has been making headlines.
The ruling, handed down on Monday, maintains that Trump’s claims of bias lack concrete evidence.
Facing 34 felony counts linked to alleged falsification of business records tied to a hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels on the brink of the 2016 election, Trump has entered a plea of not guilty for all charges.
His legal team had aimed to sway the course of the case by seeking the removal of Judge Merchan, but the move was met with staunch resistance.
Hush-money: Recusal denied
In a resolute stance, Judge Merchan brushed aside Trump’s arguments for recusal in the hush-money case, asserting that the former President’s contentions failed to meet the required legal standard.
Merchan’s ruling debunked the notion that his daughter’s professional interests in a digital marketing agency catering to Democratic Party candidates could compromise the impartiality of the case.
Furthermore, Trump’s claims surrounding a previous case that Judge Merchan presided over involving the Trump Organization and its former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, were deemed baseless by the court. Accusing the judge of improper conduct during Weisselberg’s plea negotiations, Trump’s defense team faced a setback as the court characterized their submissions as “inaccurate and misleading.”
The Trump Organization faced tax fraud charges in that case, resulting in a conviction, while Weisselberg pleaded guilty.
The spotlight is now trained on the trial’s upcoming proceedings, set to unfold in May. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s spokesperson declined to comment on Judge Merchan’s recusal ruling, underlining the gravity of the legal showdown ahead.
Trump had also pursued a transfer of the hush-money case to federal court, but the federal judge in charge quashed that endeavor last month.
As the legal saga takes center stage, both sides prepare to present their arguments, with the former President’s fate hanging in the balance.
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