A New York judge has once again rejected Donald Trump’s request for him to recuse himself from the hush money case involving payments to a porn star. This is the third time Judge Juan Merchan has declined to step aside from the high-profile case, dismissing Trump's claims of a conflict of interest due to the judge's daughter's political consultancy work.

In his latest ruling, dated August 13, Justice Merchan stated that Trump's legal team had presented no new evidence to support their recusal request. He criticized the arguments as repetitive and lacking merit, noting that they had already been addressed and dismissed by both his court and higher courts.

Trump’s lawyers had argued that Merchan’s daughter’s work with a political consultancy firm, which has supported Democratic campaigns, including Kamala Harris’s failed 2020 presidential bid, constituted a conflict of interest. Harris, now Vice President, is the likely opponent for Trump in the upcoming November election.

Judge Merchan, who is scheduled to sentence Trump on September 18, had previously denied similar recusal requests in April and August 2023. His latest decision follows a jury’s conviction of Trump on May 30 for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charges stem from Trump’s alleged involvement in covering up a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels through his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to avoid a scandal before the 2016 election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has dismissed the recusal request as “frivolous,” accusing Trump of attempting to relitigate settled issues. The prosecutors criticized Trump’s rhetoric, stating it did not address the fundamental issues of fairness in the case.

Trump's legal team has also requested that the judge overturn his conviction, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that provides former presidents with broad immunity for official acts. Judge Merchan has indicated he will address this request by September 16.

During the trial, Trump publicly criticized Judge Merchan on social media, calling him a "highly conflicted" judge and labeling the proceedings as a "kangaroo court." These comments contributed to the judge's decision to expand a gag order to prevent Trump from making public statements about court staff or prosecutors’ family members.

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