In the legal filing, AFL argues that the release of these disclosures is critical, given Judge Merchan’s role in overseeing a high-profile criminal case involving former President Donald Trump, who was convicted on multiple counts of falsifying business records, with sentencing scheduled in less than two weeks. New York law mandates that judges file annual financial disclosures, which must be made available to the public upon request. AFL claims it requested Merchan’s disclosures on June 6, 2024, but has yet to receive any documents. AFL’s request stems from concerns over potential political bias and conflicts of interest in the Trump case. The lawsuit points to several decisions made by Merchan during the trial that AFL claims unfairly favored the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. These include:America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against the Ethics Commission for the New York State Unified Court System and Judge Juan Merchan for refusing to release Merchan’s financial disclosure forms from 2018 through 2024.
AFL’s primary concern centers on what it claims is Merchan’s political bias. The organization notes that Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, is the president of Authentic Campaigns, a progressive consulting firm that has worked with Democratic candidates, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris — Trump’s foremost political opponents. AFL argues that some of Authentic Campaigns’ clients have raised significant funds by leveraging Trump’s legal challenges for their own campaign efforts, thereby raising concerns that Merchan’s rulings could indirectly benefit his daughter’s clients. Additionally, AFL has flagged Merchan’s political donations, stating that he has contributed to causes opposed to Trump, including Biden’s campaign and a political group called “Stop Republicans.” AFL says that these donations should have disqualified Merchan from presiding over such a significant trial involving a prominent Republican figure like Trump. “The law is clear that judicial financial disclosures must be released to the public,” Dan Epstein, America First Legal Vice President, said in a statement. “New York’s highest court has stated that such disclosures are necessary for parties before the courts to get a fair shake.” He added, “The public needs to know what Judge Merchan is hiding or even if he failed to file financial disclosures at all. This is especially important given the fact that Merchan appears to have engaged in unlawful campaign contributions and is on the precipice of criminally sentencing the former President of the United States.”
