Former President Donald Trump is set to appear at a court in Manhattan on April 4 for his arraignment in a historic case that will make him the first former president ever to stand before a judge to answer for criminal charges.
While specific charges against the 2024 Republican presidential candidate remain under seal, they are believed to be related to his involvement in the $130,000 alleged hush money payment to adult entertainment actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign, which was allegedly illegally classified, in violation of federal campaign finance laws
Trump’s arraignment hearing is set to begin at 2:15 p.m. ET and charges are expected to be revealed during this indictment. Trump denies wrongdoing and his lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty.
The former president is set to arrive back at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, at 8:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday following his court appearance, where he will deliver a speech.
Presiding over the historic case is Judge Juan Merchan, a Colombian-born 60-year-old judge who has spent more than 15 years on the bench and has experience in numerous high-profile prosecutions—including those against associates of Trump.
Here’s What We Know About the Judge
Merchan emigrated to the United States when he was 6 years old and grew up in New York City’s borough of Queens, according to multiple reports. He was the first member of his family to go to college, attending Baruch College and graduating in 1990 before going on to earn a law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1994.
He began his legal career in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office before then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed him as a family court judge in 2006.
Since 2009, Merchan has served as an acting justice on the State Supreme Court, presiding over felony criminal trials, according to the New York Law Journal.
Merchan donated three times to ActBlue in the summer of 2020, including one time to candidate Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
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