How Two Manhattan DA Classmates Hold Trump’s Fate in Their Hands

Indicted former President Donald Trump is currently on an extended episode of Law & Order—facing two people who lived through the real version of the drama.

The hard-nosed TV police procedural was originally inspired by the grim experiences of prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office during the tail end of a decades-long crime wave. The rookie class of 1994 saw it all, but two of those then-rookie prosecutors now stand out for a shared reason: They will both play decisive roles in historic criminal cases involving the former president.

One is Juan M. Merchan, now a New York Supreme Court justice who presided over Trump’s arraignment last week and is expected to oversee his trial next year for faking business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star.

Read more at The Daily Beast.