On Thursday, September 5, 2024, conservative public interest organization America First Legal sued New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan and the New York State Unified Court System’s Ethics Committee for financial disclosures.
America First Legal sent a demand letter requesting Judge Merchan’s financial disclosures last week, as New York law requires judges to publicly file annual financial records. However, Judge Merchan did not provide these disclosures. As the presiding judge in New York v. Trump, where former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges related to falsifying business records, America First Legal says the public has a right to see Judge Merchan’s financial records to determine if there are any conflicts of interest.
One particular area of interest stems from Judge Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, who is the president of Authentic Campaigns – a political consulting firm that has done work for top Democratic clients such as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Critics have argued this presents a perceived bias for Judge Merchan, as a ruling against Trump could benefit his daughter’s Democrat clients. Trump’s legal team unsuccessfully attempted to have Judge Merchan recused from the case prior to the trial for this reason.
In addition, Judge Merchan has also made political donations in the past to Biden’s presidential campaign, as well as to a group called “Stop Republicans.” He was cautioned in July 2023 by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct regarding these political donations. America First Legal argues these past actions and his daughter’s line of work raise valid concerns of political impartiality that deserve transparency through a review of Judge Merchan’s financial records as required by law.
The group is seeking to obtain Judge Merchan’s financial disclosures as Trump’s sentencing by the judge looms, currently scheduled for September 18th. Trump’s lawyers have requested a delay to the sentencing until after the November presidential election. Judge Merchan has yet to rule on this request.
Source: America First Legal
