Who is Arun Subramanian? All about Diddy’s trial judge as he calls out defense attorney for racial remarks

Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing Diddy's s*x trafficking trial, admonished one of the mogul's lawyers for referring to the prosecutors in the case as a "six-pack of white women" in a recent podcast.

As reported by Reuters, the lawyer in question, Mark Geragos, spoke with celebrity news website TMZ's founder, Harvey Levin, for their shared podcast called 2 Angry Men. During the podcast, he referred to the racial and gender composition of Diddy's prosecution team as "interesting." He also noted that race may be an "undercurrent" at the trial, but would not detract from the real focus of the case.

For the unversed, Arun Subramanian is the first Indian-American and South Asian to become the District Judge for the Southern District of New York. He was nominated in March 2023 by a vote of 58-37.

“We have confirmed Arun Subramanian as an SDNY (Southern District of New York) judge. He’s a son of Indian immigrants and the 1st South Asian-American judge confirmed to SDNY — which has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country. He’s dedicated his career to fighting for people,” Senate Majority Leader Senate Chuck Schumer said at the time.

The latest development in Diddy's case explored as Judge Arun Subramanian slams Geragos' comments as "outrageous"

Reuters has reported that in a private conversation in his robing room on Tuesday, before jury selection resumed, Judge Arun Subramanian told Geragos,

“I think this is ridiculous. I think referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous... This would not be tolerated in any court from any lawyer anywhere across the nation. You have one more listener for your podcast."

Geragos is not officially on Combs' defense team, but is working with its jury consultant. His daughter, Teny Geragos, however, is on Combs’ legal team.

Diddy, legally known as Sean Combs, has pleaded not guilty to all five charges involving racketeering conspiracy, s*x trafficking, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution. Jury selection kicked off this month, and is expected to end this Friday. Opening statements will commence on Monday.

According to NBC News, Geragos has been opining on several topics on his podcast, including the notorious March 2016 hotel surveillance video, which reportedly depicts Diddy dragging and beating his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura.

Per the outlet, prosecutors are referring to the video as critical evidence. Subramanian has since dismissed a motion from the defense to withhold the footage from evidence.

Ahead of prospective jurors being questioned on Tuesday, Judge Arun Subramanian asked Mark Geragos if he was serving as Combs' legal counsel. Geragos, who is renowned for his high-profile clients including O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, and Chris Brown, said he has known the disgraced mogul for years and is representing his mother in another case.

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“I do talk with him with great frequency,” he said, before defending his statements, adding: “I think when you’ve got a Black man who’s being prosecuted and the client feels like he’s being targeted, it’s an observation.”

In a letter filed on Tuesday, the prosecution asked Subramanian to reprimand Geragos and Diddy's legal counsel for making statements in public that could impact a fair trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik, one of the prosecutors, referred to Geragos' comments on his podcast, noting that he has several million subscribers, which could in turn affect the jury pool.

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