Merchant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and mathematics from Dillard University in 1992, a Master of Arts in marine science from the College of William & Mary in 1995, and a Juris Doctor from the Tulane University Law School in 1998.

[2] From 1998 to 2002, Merchant served as Assistant Regional Counsel in the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

She joined the New York Attorney General's Office in 2019 and left in 2023 when she became a district court judge.

President Biden nominated Merchant to the seat vacated by Judge William F. Kuntz II, who assumed senior status on January 1, 2022.

[5] On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.