In the upcoming New York criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, the judge denied his motion to delay the start of the trial until after the US Supreme Court rules on Trump’s claim of presidential immunity. Judge Juan Merchan ruled that the motion was untimely and noted that Trump had ample opportunities to raise the claim before March 7, 2024. The trial is related to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels and is scheduled to begin with jury selection on April 15. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Merchan previously ruled that Trump’s lawyers can object when prosecutors introduce evidence at trial that they believe is tied to presidential acts, but did not delve further into the issue in Wednesday’s ruling. The court declined to consider whether the doctrine of presidential immunity precludes the introduction of evidence of purported official presidential acts in criminal proceedings. Trump filed the motion on March 7 while the trial was still slated to begin on March 25, but it was later delayed to mid-April due to a tranche of documents provided by federal prosecutors.
Despite Trump’s efforts to delay the trial, the judge firmly denied the motion, pointing out that Trump had known about the issue of presidential immunity and had already briefed the same issue in federal court before. The judge found Trump’s claim of presidential immunity and the timing of the motion to be lacking in credibility. While Trump continues to maintain his innocence and has pleaded not guilty to all charges, the trial is set to proceed as scheduled with jury selection starting on April 15.
The ongoing legal battle over Trump’s claim of immunity and the delay of the trial due to documents provided by federal prosecutors have added complexity to the case. Trump’s attempts to postpone the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on his immunity claim have been denied by Judge Merchan. The trial will proceed with the prosecution introducing evidence related to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Despite the setbacks and delays, the trial is moving forward with Trump pleading not guilty to the charges.
The case has garnered attention due to Trump’s status as a former president and the implications of his claim of immunity on the legal proceedings. While the judge ruled against delaying the trial, Trump’s lawyers will still have the opportunity to object to the introduction of evidence they believe is tied to presidential acts during the trial. The legal wrangling and procedural issues in this high-profile case highlight the challenges of holding a former president accountable in a criminal trial. With the trial set to begin in April, all eyes will be on the courtroom as the proceedings unfold.
