The judge...
“During the 2020 United States presidential election, Merchan donated $15 to Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden’s campaign, $10 to the Progressive Turnout Project, and $10 to Stop Republicans, a subsidiary of the previous.[6]”
“Merchan officiated at the wedding of his daughter, Loren, in 2022.[23] She heads a digital marketing agency which works with Democratic Party candidates and non-profits.[23][24][25]”
On this basis alone he should be removed from this travesty of a trial.
In a normal-profile case, I don't think these would be a problem but this is hardly a normal-profile case. If I were in charge of assigning judges to this case, I would have found someone who was absolutely spotless with regard to the perception of bias. Of course, the lawfare people who believe that the legal system should be weaponized against their political enemies wouldn't see it that way.