On Thursday, America First Legal (AFL) sued the Ethics Commission for the New York State Unified Court System and Judge Juan Merchan for refusing to produce Judge Merchan’s financial disclosures from 2018-2024 as required under the law.
Under New York Law, judges are required to file annual financial disclosures, which are required to be made available for inspection upon request. AFL previously requested these disclosures on June 6, 2024, and has yet to hear back.
On August 30, 2024, AFL sent a demand letter to the Ethics Commission for the New York State Unified Court System, threatening legal action should they fail to hand over Judge Merchan’s financial disclosures. Today, AFL is fulfilling its legal promise and suing to obtain these records.
The public policy behind these rules is plain: to allow parties and members of the public to access conflicts, bias, or prejudice.
Statement from Dan Epstein, America First Legal Vice President:
“The law is clear that judicial financial disclosures must be released to the public. New York’s highest court has stated that such disclosures are necessary for parties before the courts to get a fair shake. 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. Fundamental fairness dictates a resolution of America First Legal’s suit in its favor,” said Dan Epstein.
Read the lawsuit here.
