(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump blasted the New York judge presiding over his civil fraud case as a “Democrat operative” and said he should be “disbarred” during comments outside a Manhattan courtroom Monday.
That same judge, Justice Arthur Engoron of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, will now determine how much Trump and his company will pay for committing fraud after issuing a partial summary judgment last week.
A native New Yorker, 74-year-old Engoron was born in Queens and went on to attend Columbia University. During his time as an undergrad in the 1960s, he drove a taxi cab. That sort of biographical information regularly appears in Engoron’s rulings.
In one decision, he revealed that he participated in “huge, sometimes boisterous, Vietnam War protests,” according to the Associated Press. He’s described himself as a free speech absolutist and said he’s been a member of the American Civil Liberties Union since 1994.
Engoron, a Democrat the New York Times described as “somewhat quirky,” is known for his sense of humor, quoting Bob Dylan and Shakespeare in his rulings.
Despite his amiable demeanor, the Trump proceedings have tested his patience.
Last week, the judge sanctioned five of Trump’s lawyers for bringing up already-dismissed arguments in court, fining each $7,500.
In May 2022, Engoron ordered Trump to pay a $110,000 fine for failing to comply with a subpoena for his business records.
But the most consequential ruling came Sep. 26 when Engoron found Trump liable for fraud and rejected the former president’s effort to toss the entire case.
In a 35-page ruling, Engoron determined that New York Attorney General Letitia James had proven the main elements of her case and that Trump exaggerated his wealth and the value of financial assets on financial statements to make deals and secure loans.
The judge ordered some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment.
If upheld on appeal, the ruling would also shift control of some of Trump’s companies to a court-appointed receiver. It’s a move that could strip Trump of some of his namesake properties.
Trump called the decision a “corporate death penalty” and labeled Engoron a “DERANGED New York State Judge.”
Now, Engoron will preside over a non-jury trial and resolve the remaining claims in James’ civil suit, which was filed in Sept. 2022. Those claims include allegations of conspiracy, falsifying business records and insurance fraud.
Engoron will also decide on the $250 million in monetary damages James’ office seeks.
Trump has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers have argued that no one was harmed by anything in the financial statements.
A jury won’t decide the trial because Trump’s lawyers never asked for one, court documents show.
Engoron was appointed to the New York City Civil Court in 2003 after working as a litigator and clerking for a state judge. He was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2015 after running unopposed.
The trial is scheduled to last until Dec. 22.
