Judge Merchan Makes Stunning Statement To Jury, Legal Experts EXPLODE
The state judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial made a stunning statement during jury instructions on Wednesday, one that could set the defense up for a speedy appeal if a guilty verdict is returned.
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan told the 12-member jury that unanimous agreement is not required to find the former president guilty on all of the 34 felony counts against him, according to Fox News reporter John Roberts. As an example, Merchan said three sets of four jurors could find Trump guilty of different crimes, an outcome he would treat as a “unanimous verdict.”
Judge Merchan just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict. 4 could agree on one crime, 4 on a different one, and the other 4 on another. He said he would treat 4-4-4 as a unanimous verdict.
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) May 29, 2024
Attorney and Newsmax anchor Greta Van Susteren was quick to cite precedent from the Supreme Court related to unanimity. A portion from the 1999 Richardson v. United States reads, “The jury must be unanimous as to the ‘series’ of underlying offenses in a [criminal conspiracy] prosecution. That is, the jury must unanimously agree that the defendant committed some ‘continuing series of violations,’ but also about which specific ‘violations’ make up that continuing series.”
Here is Supreme Court case on unanimity https://t.co/XYhalXJSYD pic.twitter.com/MIcPxZosOQ
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) May 25, 2024
Defense attorneys have set their sights on at least one juror who has appeared favorable to Trump, according to the Bulwark. The individual has at times nodded along with their cross-examination of Michael Cohen and barely contained a smile.
“There’s one juror that people are worried about and I share the worry,” Harry Litmam, a Democrat and former deputy attorney general, wrote Tuesday on X, adding he “can’t identify her or him per judge’s orders but seems less engaged and slightly irritable.”
There’s one juror that people are worried about and I share the worry. can’t identify her or him per judge’s orders but seems less engaged and slightly irritable.
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) May 28, 2024
“Whenever our allies or elected officials are in the courtroom, [the juror] sort of gets animated” or gives “a smile or a nod” in the defense’s direction at times.”
“When [Sen. J.D. Vance] came to court, that [juror’s] face lit up. It wasn’t the only time,” the courtroom source told the outlet.
The Federalist CEO Sean Davis accused the scurrilous Judge Merchan of leaning into accusations of anti-Trump biases from MAGA supporters. “Merchan is a corrupt apparatchik who belongs in prison. It would be nice if prosecutors treated his own courtroom antics as a conspiracy to violate rights and as undisclosed in-kind campaign contributions to Joe Biden,” Davis wrote on X.
Merchan is a corrupt apparatchik who belongs in prison. It would be nice if prosecutors treated his own courtroom antics as a conspiracy to violate rights and as undisclosed in-kind campaign contributions to Joe Biden. https://t.co/XVUAvUcZsF
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 29, 2024
Media analyst Mark Thompson noted, “This trial has been a farce from the beginning; vindictive prosecutors, maniacal misinterpretation of law, corrupt witnesses, conflicted judge, and politically targeted defendant. The only thing that remains is for a biased jury to convict on a non existent crime. History will judge this NY sham trial as the complete disgrace that it is.”
This trial has been a farce from the beginning; vindictive prosecutors, maniacal misinterpretation of law, corrupt witnesses, conflicted judge, and politically targeted defendant. The only thing that remains is for a biased jury to convict on a non existent crime. History will…
— Mark Thompson 🇺🇸 (@marktmt) May 29, 2024
During closing arguments on Tuesday, defense attorneys spent hours condemning testimony by Cohen as unreliable, calling him the “MVP” of falsehoods and the “GLOAT (Greatest Liar of All Time).” Prosecutors, meanwhile, kept their arguments trained on tying Trump to an Oval Office meeting with Cohen where they claim the then-president assured his former fixer he would be compensated for paying a settlement to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Defense attorney Todd Blanche countered that Cohen left the room asking how much he would be paid, an indication that Trump gave no directive to reimburse him and that a deal was struck with Trump Organization CFO Alan Weisselberg without his knowledge.
