Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan will preside over the hush money prosecution of former President Donald Trump despite his history of rulings against the businessman-turned-politician’s associates.

The former commander-in-chief will surrender in New York City for an arraignment on Tuesday afternoon amid legal proceedings over alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election cycle. Many critics have characterized the case as politically motivated since Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has garnered a reputation for being soft on crime with respect to violent offenses.

Trump contended last week that Merchan was “hand picked” by Bragg to preside over the case and said that Merchan “hates” him in a post to his social media platform Truth Social. Another all-caps post to Truth Social on Tuesday morning asserted that Merchan is “highly partisan” and contended that his family is composed of “well known Trump haters.”

Merchan, a Colombian-born immigrant who moved to the United States as a 6-year-old, earned a law degree from Hofstra University in 1994, according to a report from the Associated Press. He served in the state attorney general’s office before his 2006 appointment by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a family court judge. Merchan has worked as an acting justice on the New York Supreme Court since 2009.

Merchan ruled against the Trump Organization earlier this year, finding the real estate conglomerate guilty of 17 charges related to a years-long tax evasion scheme under which the firm distributed various gifts and perks to executives. He imposed a $1.6 million fine, the legal maximum, against the company.

The former chief financial officer of the company, Allen Weisselberg, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and testified against the company during the trial. Merchan sentenced the 75-year-old to five months in prison, a sentence he is currently serving, after he pleaded guilty to 15 criminal charges at the end of last year. “I believe that a stiffer sentence would be appropriate, having heard the evidence,” Merchan remarked, according to a report from POLITICO.

Trump himself will reportedly be charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, all of which are the lowest-level felonies in the state but each of which carries as many as four years in prison per charge. Merchan issued a ruling that denied a request by a coalition of news outlets for video coverage, but he will allow photographers to take still photos of the 76-year-old Trump before the Tuesday arraignment begins.

Merchan could also impose a gag order on Trump, which would limit the former commander-in-chief and current 2024 presidential contender from discussing the details of the controversial case. Trump plans to deliver a speech about the arraignment on Tuesday night.

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Trump has likewise accused Bragg of “prosecutorial misconduct” and called him an “animal.” He also called attention to the funds leftist billionaire George Soros donated to multiple advocacy groups that supported Bragg’s candidacy. Soros, who has previously boasted about his efforts to bankroll the campaigns of progressive district attorneys, denied last week that he has any connection with Bragg.

Trump faces additional legal jeopardy in three other criminal proceedings, including a federal investigation into his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election, an investigation in Georgia related to alleged meddling in the 2020 election, and another federal investigation into his handling of government records after leaving office.

Parents were often “pressured” into transitioning their children to treat gender dysphoria, after which the parents reported worse mental health outcomes for their children, according to a new study.

Northwestern University psychology professor Michael Bailey analyzed survey data from 1,655 parents of youth and young adult children who identified as the opposite sex or non-binary. The survey data was compiled by the anonymous support group Parents of Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) Kids, an organization that collects horror stories from parents whose children struggled with gender dysphoria.

The data collected came from families with children who began to identify as transgender between the ages of 11 and 21.

Bailey’s study found that gender dysphoria impacted girls much more often than boys, 75% of the gender dysphoric children were biological females. Girls were also much more likely to socially transition or more in order to match their gender identity. A history of mental health issues was a defining trait of most children who later struggled with gender dysphoria.

“Pre-existing mental health issues were common, and youths with these issues were more likely than those without them to have socially and medically transitioned,” the study says. “Parents reported that they had often felt pressured by clinicians to affirm their AYA child’s new gender and support their transition. According to the parents, AYA children’s mental health deteriorated considerably after social transition.”

Parents of ROGD Kids say the study backs up its assertions that one of the prime causes of gender dysphoria and transgender identification in young people is social contagion. Girls are especially susceptible to suggestion and group think influenced by their social circles, the group says.

“These youth are most likely using ‘gender dysphoria’ to describe general feelings of dysphoria that they have no other name for, and do not understand. Transitioning will not help them. It can only cause irreversible harm and make things much worse,” the group said in a press release touting the study.

In a footnote to its release, Parents of ROGD Kids also knocked The Washington Post for an article the paper published last month suggesting that transgender treatment led to happier outcomes from people who identify as transgender.

“On March 23, 2023, the Washington Post reported on a survey that found the majority of trans adults were happy they had transitioned. While they may feel that way, on every question relating to mental health and social functioning, they rated themselves as worse off than the total population surveyed,” the group said.

“Most alarming, 78% of trans respondents reported that they had serious mental health issues as a child or teenager. These results support our conclusion: Transitioning does not improve social and emotional functioning,” it added.