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Donald Trump’s sentencing on Friday marks the final verdict in the New York criminal trial against the president-elect. The verdict does not sentence the president-elect to prison or probation. Acting Judge Juan Mercian gaveled the entire New York judicial system.
Once considered the best legal system in the country, figures such as New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Arthur F. Engoron, and Judge Juan Marchan have overshadowed the system. This led to it being weaponized for political purposes. When President Trump leaves this trial and enters the White House in two weeks, the system in New York will become infamous.
The case has long been denounced as a legal absurdity by objective legal observers, including President Trump’s ardent critics. Even CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig called the lawsuit legally flawed and unprecedented, and Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman called it simply “absolutely awful.” I just said.
Donald Trump acquitted in New York criminal trial; judge hopes for second term ‘Godspeed’
This is a non-criminal case. Bragg brought back the long-vanished misdemeanor with a novel and unsubstantiated theory. Mr. Bragg used federal violations that were never indicted, much less tried, to turn misdemeanors into dozens of felonies, effectively putting Mr. Trump on trial for federal violations.
Not only did Mr. Marchand allow these charges to go to trial, he also committed irreparable mistakes in his efforts to bring down Mr. Trump at all costs. For that reason, he was touted by the liberal media and many New Yorkers. However, Trump succeeded in winning 3.6 million votes (42.7%) in New York state in the 2024 election. After all the legal avenues and all the favorable circumstances (including a heavily biased media and a larger military budget), Vice President Kamala Harris will receive hundreds of thousands of votes in 2024 compared to Joe Biden just four years ago. I lost it.
Numerous polls have shown that the public perceives the Manhattan criminal case as a graphic legal battle targeting a powerful political opponent. The election itself felt like the greatest judgment in history, as the people rejected political, legal, and media authority in one of our nation’s most historic elections.
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New York’s court system faces a chance at redemption, but few are holding their breath. The appeals court has not yet ruled on Attorney General Lettia James’ appeal of a similarly frivolous civil lawsuit against Trump. We are still awaiting a verdict, even though the judges have expressed skepticism that Endron will use the law to impose a grotesque $455 million fine and interest.
Most people are waiting for this criminal case to escape the maelstrom of New York’s court system. This appeal finally brings this peddler’s wagon of reversible errors to a stop before the Supreme Court itself.
Thursday night’s ruling could not have set the stage for a better decision for President Trump. The Supreme Court has once again demonstrated that it has shown restraint and independence in these cases. In response to the ruling, President Trump made a perfect point Thursday night, refusing to criticize the court, saying, “This is far from finished. I respect the court’s opinion.”
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The final sentence handed down by Judge Marchand on Friday morning reflects the lack of seriousness of the case. It was even more inflated than the Goodyear blimp, fueled by heated anger and rhetoric. This decision was a pinprick that pointed to a major gap in the case.
The verdict is in. The New York judicial system ruled against itself.
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