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Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump's sister and a former federal judge, dies at 86

Grace Eliza Goodwin   

Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump's sister and a former federal judge, dies at 86
PoliticsPolitics2 min read
  • Trump's older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, has died.
  • A former federal judge, Trump Barry was 86 years old.

Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump's older sister who served as a federal judge in New Jersey for more than three decades, has died at the age of 86, the New York Times and ABC News reported.

Trump Barry died in her New York City apartment, the outlets reported.

The cause of Trump Barry's death has not yet been revealed, according to the New York Times. ABC cited anonymous sources that said there were no signs of foul play.

Trump Barry left the judiciary in 2019 under a cloud of suspicion. The New York Times undercovered bombshell details about Trump's efforts to dodge taxes, including the use of what the publication deemed "dubious tax schemes" that bordered on if not crossed the line into outright fraud.

Originally appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Clinton elevated Trump Barry to the Third Circuit. It was her 2000 opinion that called out a New Jersey law banning late-term abortions that drew Cruz's ire.

Before that decision, Trump Barry presided over the conviction of Louis (Bobby) Manna, a Genovese crime family boss who had plotted to kill a rival, per The Times.

Trump Barry, who stopped hearing cases after her brother's inauguration, was a key figure in the publication's reporting. Trump Barry retired not long after ethics complaints related to the reporting were filed.

Trump Barry also made waves in 2020 when her niece, Mary Trump, released tapes of her criticizing her younger brother's presidency, accusing him of "lying" and having "no principles," Insider previously reported.

"His goddamned tweet and the lying, oh my God. I'm talking too freely, but you know," Trump Barry could be heard saying on the recording. "The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying. Holy s---. But he's appealing to the base. What they're doing to the kids at the border, I mean."

During the Trump administration, Trump Barry reportedly lobbied for Judge Thomas Hardiman, a colleague on the federal bench who was on Trump's short-list for a Supreme Court pick to replace the deceased Justice Antonin Scalia, Politico reported at the time.

Trump ultimately appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch, though he considered Hardiman for another seat that ultimately went to Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, attacked Trump Barry during the 2016 presidential campaign after Trump mused that his sister would be a "phenomenal" Supreme Court justice.

"Now, it's good to stand with your sister," Cruz said at the time. "But Donald's sister was a Bill Clinton-appointed federal appellate judge who is a radical pro-abortion extremist."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.


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