Don't Fall For Merchan's Trap
By delaying Donald Trump's sentencing until ten days before the inauguration, Judge Juan Merchan is openly displaying the political nature of the prosecution and trial.
Judge Juan Merchan's obsession with landing his white whale, Donald Trump, revealed itself this week in all its political dis-glory. People v. Trump was the only one of the four lawfare cases brought by Democratic prosecutors to reach a conviction. While Merchan has declared that he will impose a sentence of "unconditional discharge," which means no "imprisonment, fine, or probation supervision," he remains determined to make Trump the first felon to become President.
Even if he had tried, Trump could not have scripted a more revealing political act by Merchan, and, by extension, Alvin Bragg, the elected Manhattan district attorney, and the State of New York. A truly neutral judge committed to following the law would have overturned—if not dismissed altogether—the May 2024 conviction. But just as the 2024 prosecutions backfired by creating a rally-around-the-flag effect for Trump in the Republican primaries, the future President could again pull political judo that could allow him to turn lawfare against its Democratic practitioners.
By delaying sentencing until ten days before the inauguration, Merchan is openly displaying the political nature of the prosecution and trial. The judge is effectively short-circuiting Trump's ability to appeal to higher courts to enjoin an official conviction.
Politics
%20Richard%20Samuelson%20%20-%20Is%20American%20Nationalism%20Still%20Creed-able_-1.jpg)
Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?
We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders
The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.
.webp)
%20(1).avif)
Confronting the New Antisemitism
"The postwar effort 'to rebrand Judaism as a religion' has made it impossible for American Jews to understand what they are facing today, because what we are facing today is an attack on the idea of Jewish peoplehood.”
“Democratic” Socialism Is Undemocratic
By promoting class hatred, suppressing private initiative, and seeking enhanced control of our lives, today’s democratic socialists undermine patriotism and individual initiative—two qualities that have long distinguished the United States from other major nations.
