Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan will preside over the hush money prosecution of former President Donald Trump despite his history of rulings against the businessman-turned-politician’s associates.
The former commander-in-chief will surrender in New York City for an arraignment on Tuesday afternoon amid legal proceedings over alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election cycle. Many critics have characterized the case as politically motivated since Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has garnered a reputation for being soft on crime with respect to violent offenses.
Trump contended last week that Merchan was “hand picked” by Bragg to preside over the case and said that Merchan “hates” him in a post to his social media platform Truth Social. Another all-caps post to Truth Social on Tuesday morning asserted that Merchan is “highly partisan” and contended that his family is composed of “well known Trump haters.”