A New York judge has denied the request of former U.S. President Donald Trump to delay his hush-money trial until the U.S. Supreme Court reviews his claim to presidential immunity.
What Happened: According to a Reuters report, Trump’s trial, which is slated for April 15, pertains to charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Trump’s immunity arguments on April 25. Trump’s defense team had asked Justice Juan Merchan to postpone the trial until the review was concluded, arguing its relevance to evidence of statements Trump made during his presidency from 2017 to 2021.
“Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024,” said Judge Merchan, according to the report.
Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, refrained from commenting on the issue. Trump, the Republican candidate for the upcoming November 5 election, has pleaded not guilty to all four criminal charges he faces.
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The New York case accuses Trump of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 payment made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence about a sexual encounter she alleges to have had with Trump in 2006, an encounter Trump denies.
Trump is also seeking a delay on the grounds that extensive news coverage of the case has led potential jurors to believe he is already guilty. This request is yet to be ruled on by Merchan. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which charged Trump in 2023, opposed this request in a court filing made public on Wednesday.
Why It Matters: This development follows Trump’s legal team’s previous attempts to delay the trial, citing concerns over pretrial publicity and potential bias among Manhattan residents. They also made a second attempt to recuse Judge Merchan from the trial, citing an ‘unacceptable risk’.
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