(NationalUSNews.com) — Joyce Vance, a legal expert with a background as a federal prosecutor, has recently shared her perspective on Trump’s ongoing criminal trial in New York. Vance said that Judge Juan Merchan must disregard Trump’s public criticisms of the justice system. Despite Trump’s public statements about Merchan and the hush money trial, Vance maintains that Merchan must not respond to Trump or take action against the former president. Any response, Vance warns, could disrupt the scheduled start of the case in the coming weeks.
Merchan attempted to limit Trump’s ability to speak about the criminal case by instituting a gag order on the former president, preventing him from discussing various people connected to the criminal trial or his first election victory in 2016. Despite Merchan’s best effort to prevent Trump from commenting on the legal case, the gag order failed to prohibit Trump from mentioning Merchan and his involvement in the legal case, allowing Trump to openly speak about the judge in online posts and public appearances. The gag order also failed to prevent Trump from referencing Merchan’s family, including the judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan.
According to Trump’s various social media posts regarding Merchan, the judge should recuse himself from the criminal case due to Loren Merchan’s outspoken political beliefs. Trump said that Loren Merchan openly expressed her hatred for Trump and his associates, indicating a potential conflict of interest regarding Judge Juan Merchan’s involvement in the legal case. Trump also accused Loren Merchan of admitting to talking about him to her father, which is another possible issue regarding Merchan’s status as the criminal case’s presiding judge.
Trump also highlighted Loren Merchan’s experience as a political consultant, accusing her of working for President Joe Biden and other Democratic officials who’ve openly criticized him. Trump’s claims aren’t entirely unfounded, as Loren Merchan worked for President Biden’s presidential campaign and other Democratic officials during their election campaigns. Although Trump took to social media to post about Loren Merchan and her father, Judge Juan Merchan hasn’t released a response or indicated any plans to restrict further the former president’s ability to talk about the case.
Some legal experts believe Trump wants Judge Juan Merchan to respond to his public statements about Loren Merchan, as it would allow Trump’s legal team an opportunity to appeal the restrictions on speech and delay his criminal case by weeks or even months. Despite Trump’s public statements accusing Loren Merchan of political bias and her father’s involvement in his legal case, Trump’s criminal trial will likely begin as scheduled on April 15th.
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