Who is Juan Merchan, the judge in this case?

The justice overseeing Donald Trump's hush wealth lawsuit knows the play the erstwhile president brings to court.

The 2 person crossed paths before, legally speaking.

In 2022, Justice Juan Manuel Merchan presided implicit the tax-fraud proceedings that led to the condemnation of the Trump Organization's main fiscal officer, Allen Weisselberg.

He has much than 16 years connected the bench, but this volition beryllium by acold the astir high-profile lawsuit to transverse his courtroom.

The New York County Supreme Court justice is besides presiding implicit a transgression lawsuit against the erstwhile president's adjacent ally, Steve Bannon, who has been charged with fraud and wealth laundering successful transportation with a foundation that was expected to assistance physique a partition on the US-Mexico border.

On Friday, up of his ain time successful court, Mr Trump posted connected his societal media level Truth Social that Justice Merchan "HATES ME".

Mr Trump, who faces charges related to hush wealth paid to a erstwhile porn star, has denied each wrongdoing.

Justice Merchan began his ineligible vocation successful 1994, aft graduating from Hofstra University School of Law. He spent respective years successful the New York County District Attorney's Office, earlier becoming lawman adjunct lawyer wide successful Nassau County successful 1999. He past went connected to service arsenic an adjunct lawyer wide successful some Nassau and Suffolk counties, earlier being appointed to the seat successful 2006 successful Bronx County Family Court.

He has served arsenic a justness astatine the New York County Supreme Court, presiding implicit transgression matters, since 2009.

"He's a superior jurist, astute and even-tempered," Manhattan defence lawyer Ron Kuby told NBC News. "He's not 1 of those judges who yells astatine lawyers, and is characterised arsenic a no-nonsense judge. But he's ever successful power of the courtroom."

Last year, successful the lawsuit against the Trump Organization, Justice Merchan was adamant that the charges were perfectly not politically motivated. The organization's lawyer had tried to reason Mr Weisselberg was being targeted due to the fact that of his relation with the erstwhile president.

Justice Merchan said that statement had nary ineligible merit.

"I volition not let you successful immoderate mode to bring up a selective prosecution claim, oregon assertion this is immoderate benignant of caller prosecution," Merchan said, according to the BBC's quality spouse CBS.