‘Central Park Five’ Judge Recuses Himself After Trump’s Request

A federal judge overseeing a defamation case filed by the exonerated “Central Park Five” against President-elect Donald Trump recused himself due to his friendship with one of the plaintiff’s lawyers.

Senior Judge Michael Baylson issued an order Friday afternoon after Trump filed a motion on Nov. 14 requesting Baylson’s “immediate removal” from the case. Plaintiff’s attorney Shanin Specter disclosed on Nov. 13 that he’d personally represented both Judge Baylson and his wife, and had “enjoyed a friendship with Judge Baylson since I was a child.”

Trump’s motion was approved without opposition.

The case originates from the 1989 assault and rape of a female jogger in New York. Following the incident, Trump took out full-page newspaper ads demanding the death penalty for the accused. Over two decades later, in 2002, the five men, who had served prison sentences ranging from six to 13 years, were exonerated after DNA evidence proved their innocence. The plaintiffs now allege that Trump has continued to publicly assert their guilt despite their exoneration.

Baylson was appointed to the court in 2002 by George W. Bush.

Specter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In his order, Baylson requested that the chief judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania reassign the case. Harmeet Dhillon, founder of The Dhillon Law Group which is representing Trump, declined to comment.

The case is Salaam v. Trump, E.D. Pa., No. 24-cv-05560, order 11/15/24.