When Donald Trump walked into the courtroom in New York on Tuesdayhe will face a seasoned judge who is no stranger to the former president’s trajectory: Acting Judge of the New York Supreme Court Juan Mercan.
He jailed Allen Weisselberg, a close confidant of Trump, presided over the Trump Organization tax fraud trial and oversaw the criminal fraud case of former adviser Steve Bannon.
But Trump’s historic impeachment on Tuesday will probably be Mercan’s most high-profile case to date, even after a long stint at the top of state court.
Mercan has been described by observers as a “tough” judge, but a fair one, regardless of who stands before him.
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“A man of his words”: Trump has fanned the flames on social media with his views on Mercan and his indictment. But the attorneys who appeared before him told CNN the judge did not accept interruptions or delays.
Judge Mercan “has clearly demonstrated his judicial inclinations, which has greatly helped me in providing well-informed legal advice to Mr. Weisselberg. Judge Mercan is always well-prepared, easy-to-read and easy-going. approach and – most importantly in the Weisselberg matter – was a man of his word.He treated me and my colleagues with the utmost respect, both in public and behind closed doors, ” Nicholas Gravante, the attorney representing Weisselberg in his defense, said by email.
“Tough” but “kind”: Mercan showed some of his tough side when Weisselberg was convicted, telling Trump’s ex-partner that if he didn’t promise him a five-month sentence, he would give him a “much higher” sentence after hearing the evidence at trial.
In addition to Trump’s cases, Mercan also sentenced a Senegalese man to 25 years to life in prison for raping and murdering his girlfriend.
Trump’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said in an interview Friday on CNN that Mercan “didn’t go easy” on him as he tried a case in front of him, but reiterated that the judge is likely to rule. equal.
However, Mercan is also credited by his colleagues for helping found the Manhattan Court of Mental Health, which he often presides over and where he is known for his “benevolent” judgments. give the defendant a second chance.
However, Earl Ward, trial attorney and president of the public defense nonprofit The Bronx Defenders, said that after witnessing Mercchan preside over cases at the Mental Health Court, the judge Judges often sided with prosecutors.
His resume: Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Mercan immigrated to the United States at the age of 6 and grew up in the Jackson Heights neighborhood, Queens, New York City. According to the records of the New York Times of the judge. He was the first in his family to go to college. He received a law degree from Hofstra University.
My debut Mercan legal career in 1994 as an assistant district attorney in the adjudication division at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. A few years later, he moved to the state attorney general’s office, where he worked on Long Island cases. In 2006, Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg, then a Republican, appointed Mercan to the Bronx Family Court, and the Democrat Appointed Governor David Paterson in New York State Court of Appeals in 2009 — the same year he began serving as an Acting Judge of the New York Supreme Court.
CNN’s Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle contributed to reporting in the post.
