The chief judge on New York’s highest court has recused himself from overseeing Donald Trump’s attempt to have a gag order overturned in his hush money trial
New York’s Westchester Journal News reported Friday that Chief Judge Rowan Wilson dropped out of the case, saying that Justice Juan Merchan was being represented by the Office of Court Administration, which Wilson oversees.
Merchan is the judge in Trump’s trial that saw him convicted of 34 charges involving covering up payments to buy the silence of an adult movie actress who claimed she’d had a sexual relationship with him.
Merchan had slapped Trump with a gag order to stop him attacking witnesses, judges, and court staff. The order is still in place as Trump awaits sentencing on July 11. The GOP presidential nominee claims that hurts his ability to campaign as a candidate.
Usually judges in the state who are the subject of lawsuits are represented by the New York Attorney General’s Office, the Journal News reported.
“For reasons I don’t know, the Attorney General didn’t represent Justice Merchan, and instead, then, a lawyer within the Office of Court Administration represented him,” Wilson said. “That didn’t seem appropriate to me to remain on that case.”
He said it was “entirely my decision.”
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On Tuesday, the Court of Appeals in New York rejected Trump’s attempt to appeal the gag.
Trump can still ask the top appeals court to lift the gag order if two of seven judges agree it should be heard.
Wilson’s recusal may affect Trump’s chances because he is the court’s most liberal member and has a history of supporting the rights of criminal defendants, the Journal reported.
