Quick Hit:

New York Judge Juan Merchan has threatened former President Donald Trump with jail time if he fails to attend any of the ongoing hearings in his hush money trial. Trump, who had already expressed his eagerness to attend all proceedings, had requested to attend his son's high school graduation Wednesday, a request Merchan has refused to rule on.

Key Details:

• Merchan warned Trump of the potential of arrest should he fail to attend hearings, a warning in New York given to defendants called the Parker Warning.
• Trump's lawyers asserted that the former president intends to attend all trial proceedings, but Merchan seemingly threatened the former president for complying, over the logistical complexities of his attendance with Secret Service.
• Trump had requested to attend his son Barron's high school graduation Wednesday, a request Merchan refused to rule on, saying it in part, “really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”

Diving Deeper:

As former President Trump's hush money trial began Monday morning with jury selection, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan roundly rejected making a decision on allowing the former president to attend his son's high school graduation Wednesday. Merchan stated it in part, “really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”

The decision was quickly and sharply criticized by the Trump family as both Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter, with the former stating, "Judge Merchan is truly heartless in not letting a father attend his son's graduation."

Trump's legal team had already reiterated his commitment to comply with all required court appearances, yet they argue that the insistence on his presence without considering reasonable personal requests could reflect a lack of fairness in the trial's conduct. They also continue to challenge Judge Merchan's impartiality, citing his family’s connections to Democratic political activities and previous political donations as potential conflicts of interest​.