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Distinguished person of the week New York Justice Juan Merchan likely knew he would have his hands full with a criminal trial of a former president unwilling (or unable) to conform his behavior to the demands of the criminal justice system. Merchan probably had no idea, however, how completely Trump would bully his own lawyers into making bad arguments and horrible strategy moves. And he probably did not expect Trump would defy court orders, forcing Merchan to hold him in contempt 10 times and threaten to throw him behind bars. And yet, as the testimony in the New York criminal trial for falsification of business documents ended (with a calamitous defense witness), you had to marvel at Merchan’s success in conducting an orderly, relatively swift and, in some sense, straightforward trial in the midst of the mayhem Trump creates. Merchan forced a former president to (more or less) stop threatening witnesses and court personnel. He managed to impanel an impartial jury, keep the trial on schedule, deflect inane defense arguments and yet allow both sides to put on their case. This is the rule of law at its best. In short, whatever the verdict, Merchan succeeded in protecting our criminal justice system. No wonder Trump detested him, smeared him with a racist insinuation and attacked the judge’s daughter. What Trump could not do was provoke a mistrial or throw the case off course. And for that, American owes a debt of gratitude to Merchan.