Judge Juan Merchan spent seven minutes during Friday’s sentencing hearing bemoaning that President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory prevented him from

Justice Juan M. Merchan, an even-keeled jurist, has been in the president-elect’s cross-hairs for nearly two years.

The 'Outnumbered' panel reacts to Judge Juan Merchan sentencing President-elect Donald Trump in his New York criminal case just days before his inauguration.

The case was the only one of four criminal indictments that has gone to trial and possibly the only one that ever will.

President-elect Donald Trump will enter the White House this month as a felon, but will serve no jail time under a sentence handed down this morning in New York for his criminal conviction in a hush-money trial that angered him and his supporters but didn’t prevent him from reclaiming the presidency.

The high court’s action clears the way for the president-elect to be sentenced for his criminal conviction in Manhattan on Friday.

Judge Juan Merchan spoke to President-elect Donald Trump for several minutes as he imposed a sentence of unconditional discharge without any punishment in the New York hush money case. Merchan cited the protections of ‘office of the presidency’ as he explained his ruling.