Donald Trump's trial kicked off on Monday morning in New York, as he faces charges for falsifying his business records to disguise a hush-money payment made to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star, shortly before the 2016 election. And although the proceedings began with jury selection, a process estimated to take around two weeks, many eyes were set on the man overseeing the trial: Judge Juan Merchán.
Merchán was called out by Trump last month as a "certified Trump-hater", with the former president also singling out the judge's daughter, Loren Merchán over her Democratic ties (last year Merchán rejected a request by Trump for the judge to recuse himself from the case due to his daughter's work). He wrote in his order that the court "has examined its conscience and is certain in its ability to be fair and impartial."
