Former President Donald Trump‘s third attempt to delay his impending hush money criminal trial in New York has been rejected.
What Happened: Trump’s legal team had appealed to the state’s mid-level appeals court for an indefinite halt to the case. They are contesting several pretrial rulings and seeking the removal of the trial judge, claiming these factors have significantly hindered Trump’s defense, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Justice Ellen Gesmer promptly dismissed the latest appeal, marking another setback for Trump who has repeatedly attempted to delay the trial. Unless further court action is taken, jury selection is scheduled to commence next Monday.
Trump attorney Emil Bove had said during the hearing, “It's an incredibly important trial. It's a historic, unprecedented proceeding.”
The hush-money case, the first of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial, would be the first criminal trial ever of a former president. Trump is accused of falsifying his company’s records to hide payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who helped suppress negative stories during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Last month, Trump’s lawyers requested trial judge, Juan Merchan, to adjourn the New York trial indefinitely until Trump’s immunity claim in his Washington, D.C., election interference case is resolved. They argue that some evidence, including Trump’s social media posts about Cohen, should be excluded from the trial due to his immunity protections.
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on this matter on April 25.
Why It Matters: This trial has been a topic of interest for some time. Trump’s legal team had previously argued for the recusal of the judge just days before the trial was set to commence.
Additionally, the judge had approved a 42-query jury questionnaire ahead of the selection process. The trial is related to alleged hush money paid to adult actress Stormy Daniels, as noted by her former lawyer Michael Avenatti.
Avenatti said in an interview, “I think he will be convicted. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going (to) hold up. I think it’s going be tested on appeal when Trump is convicted.”
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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