India, Aug. 15 -- Judge Juan Merchan became one of the most closely watched figures in Donald Trump's hush-money case. Now, fresh scrutiny involving his daughter has put the judge and his family back in the spotlight.

Donald Trump has described the judge who oversaw his hush-money trial, where he was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as a "certified Trump hater."

Justice Merchan began his legal career in 1994 after graduating from Hofstra University School of Law. He worked as a prosecutor, first in the New York County District Attorney's Office, and later as an assistant attorney general in Nassau and Suffolk counties, as per BBC.

He was appointed a family court judge in 2006, and since 2009 has presi...