Everything Judge Merchan Told Trump Jurors

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

The prosecution and defense have official rested their case in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, and the jury will return next week to determine the former president's fate.

Posted by Corky at 11:30 PM | 17 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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"Jurors will return to court on Tuesday to hear closing arguments and the judge expects to give his instructions the following day. Merchan anticipates that it will take him an hour to deliver his remarks and that deliberations will start thereafter.

Here's how the court is deciding to instruct jurors in Trump's trial:

Merchan agreed that the instructions would refer to star witness Michael Cohen as "accomplice," which is the language prosecutors noted was used by New York's Criminal Jury Instructions (CJI), rather than by name, as the defense wanted.

Merchan said that "a lot of smart people did a lot of hard work to come up with" the CJI and so, he wouldn't "deviate" from those standard instructions unless necessary. The jury will also hear that Cohen "participated in and was convicted of crimes."

much more at the thread link

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2024-05-21 05:54 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

This is another good article on the charging phase:

"Prosecutors argue that the other crime in this case was violating state election law 17-152 " conspiracy to promote or prevent an election.

That law makes it a misdemeanor when two or more people "conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.

Prosecutors have said in court that the "unlawful means" at issue in Trump's case were a violation of federal campaign law " meaning that the charges against the presumptive GOP presidential nominee are really a three-step process." more

www.washingtonpost.com

#2 | Posted by Corky at 2024-05-21 06:22 PM | Reply

Judge Merchan seems to be taking a good approach in the final stage of this trial.

The Court is closed Friday and Monday. Wednesday, other cases are heard.

So, Judge Merchan could try to squeeze in closing arguments on Thursday, oping that both prosecution and defense will fit in one day. If they don't then prosecution would be on Thursday and defense on Tuesday. Not a god scenario for a proper judgment of the two opinions.

Or he could wait until Tuesday for closing arguments, allowing the jurors to deliberate with the closing arguments fresh on their minds, instead of, possibly, after a four-day holiday weekend for one of the parties.

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-05-21 07:55 PM | Reply

This judge?

If I had to guess, this is what I speculate he said: " Ignore the entire trial and find Trump guilty and push for a higher sentence than the current max of 136 years."

#4 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-22 04:06 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

4
Yes, but you are a dedicated dufus who has fallen for the Lawfare Lie as hard as any dedicated Trumper; you should be standing in front of the Courthouse wearing a red tie and white shirt along with the other Cultists.

What Trump did in Manhattan is against the law there, and they have every right, and every duty, to charge and try him.

#5 | Posted by Corky at 2024-05-22 11:43 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 5

Actually nothing he did violated the state law. Nevermind this entire case is past the statute of limitations. Also the law they're trying to say he violated only applies to state candidates, not federal candidates. The entire thing is bogus lawfare. Plucking a bunch of dummies from the local area will likely yield the same type of corrupt dummies that continuously get elected in NY.

#6 | Posted by THEBULL at 2024-05-23 07:36 AM | Reply | Funny: 1

This judge exercised tremendous patience with Trump and his trash mob. Joe Six Pack would've spent some unpleasant nights in the local clink for contempt.

#7 | Posted by anton at 2024-05-23 07:40 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

#5 | Posted by Corky

You are correct, sir.

But stinkerbell does not care.

He is here for sport and attention.

#8 | Posted by Angrydad at 2024-05-23 07:41 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

"Actually nothing he did violated the state law. Nevermind this entire case is past the statute of limitations."

Two sentences that literally contradict each other.

If he didn't violate any laws then how could it be past the statute of limitations?

"The entire thing is bogus lawfare."

Like you have a clue about the law.

Desperate People say desperate things.

#9 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-05-23 10:48 AM | Reply

Thebull jeffj sock puppet?

#10 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-05-23 10:55 AM | Reply

If Cohen went to prison for essentially carrying out these acts on Trumps behalf and direction.. how could it not be a crime? and how could Trump not be found guilty? If it comes to light that a mob boss ordered a hit, and the hitman goes down for it.. doesn't also the mob boss, if let's say there are cashed checks on record paying off the hitman for the job?

#11 | Posted by igashosparks at 2024-05-23 01:10 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

#11

Bingo!

Which is why Cohen is referred to as the "Accomplice" in the Judge's Jury instructions rather than by name.

#12 | Posted by Corky at 2024-05-23 01:14 PM | Reply

#11. The only real evidence of that is Cohen's word and given that the defense caught him lying in this trial plus his past serial lying - reasonable doubt right there.

#13 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-23 06:39 PM | Reply

11. The only real evidence of that is Cohen's word and given that the defense caught him lying in this trial plus his past serial lying - reasonable doubt right there.

POSTED BY BELLRINGER AT 2024-05-23 06:39 PM | REPLY

You're full of smelly runny brown stuffs. Quite typical of You ain't it Jeff??

#14 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2024-05-23 06:43 PM | Reply

- The only real evidence of that is Cohen's word

You seem to have intentionally missed the parts where Cohen's testimony was corroborated by both other witness testimony and documentary evidence.

#15 | Posted by Corky at 2024-05-23 06:47 PM | Reply

" The only real evidence of that is Cohen's word"

You haven't been following the trial closely, have you?

More to the point, the outlets where you get your news clearly didn't cover Costello's performance as a defense witness, which turned out to be the best proof of what Cohen testified the prosecution could ever hope.

#16 | Posted by Danforth at 2024-05-23 06:53 PM | Reply

The Painless Pole has become the Painful Troll, lol.

#17 | Posted by Corky at 2024-05-23 07:00 PM | Reply