Who Is Judge Juan Merchan? Donald Trump's Likely Trial Judge in New York

Donald Trump became the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted on Thursday, after an investigation into alleged campaign finance violations by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, related to the reported payment of hush money to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.

It is still unclear exactly what charges Trump will face, as the indictment remains under seal. The former president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, branding the case "fake, corrupt and disgraceful."

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it was in contact with Trump's team to arrange his surrender for his arraignment, when he will first appear before a judge to face the charges. Speaking to Jonathan Dienst, WNBC's chief investigative reporter, two "officials familiar with the matter" said they expect Trump's case to be overseen by Judge Juan Merchan, who last year ran the trial of the Trump Organization, which was convicted of defrauding tax authorities over a 15-year period.

Legal action of this nature against a former president, and current Republican presidential frontrunner, is without precedent in American history, and could significantly impact Trump's hopes of returning to the White House, as either a hindrance or a help.

The indictment of Trump has been fiercely criticized by many Republicans, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy branding it an "unprecedented abuse of power." However his Democratic predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, said: "No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence."

Merchan, who was born in Colombia and moved to the U.S. aged six, has served as an active justice with the New York state Supreme Court since 2009.

After completing a business degree at Baruch College, during which he briefly dropped out to work as a internal auditor, Merchan studied at the Hofstra University School of Law.

During his time in college, Merchan also worked as a hotel night manager, to help pay his bills. His legal career began in 1994, as a Manhattan assistant district attorney. After around five years, Merchan was transferred to the State Attorney General's office, before being appointed to the bench in 2006 by then New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Speaking to The New York Times about Merchan, Jose A. Fanjul, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney, commented: "He is someone who reads every word on every page of every filing and every footnote, and then the cases that you cite to him.

"His fidelity to the law and to getting it right lends to him this sort of moral purpose of what he's doing that makes it a joy to practice in front of him."

During his time with the New York state Supreme Court, Merchan has presided over a number of high-profile cases, including the Trump Organization being found guilty of tax fraud in December of last year, though the former president was not charged personally.

This followed Allen Weisselberg, formerly the Trump Organization's chief finance officer, being convicted of 15 felonies related to the fraud in August.