Donald Trump Seeks To Overturn New York Court's Decision In Hush-Money Case With Federal Court's Intervention

Donald Trump requested a federal appeals court to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that the hush-money criminal case against him should remain in a New York state court.

What Happened: Trump’s lawyers, on Friday, submitted a notice of appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, arguing that the court’s decision is “very unfair” towards him, AP News reported.

This move follows U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein‘s rejection last week of Trump’s bid to transfer the case to federal court.

Under U.S. law, criminal prosecutions can be transferred from state to federal court if they relate to actions carried out by federal government officials while performing their official responsibilities. However, Hellerstein ruled that the hush-money case pertained to a private issue and not the president’s official duties.

If the case is moved to federal court, Trump’s lawyers could argue for dismissal of the charges on the grounds of federal officials’ immunity from prosecution over actions taken as part of their official job duties.

See Also: Donald Trump Slams Latest Charges In Classified Document Case

Why It Matters: Trump filed the notice of appeal following a week of intense legal activity for the twice-indicted Republican, who aspires to return to the White House in the 2024 presidential election.

Earlier this week, he confronted fresh criminal charges in a separate case in Florida’s federal court, accused of unlawfully possessing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Trump is scheduled to stand trial in state court on March 25. His lawyers have asked the state court judge presiding over the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, to step aside, arguing that he’s partly biased because his daughter does political consulting work for some of Trump’s Democratic rivals.

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