Former President Donald Trump’s request to delay his hush money criminal trial was denied for the third time in one week. Trump’s arguments for a delay focused on reasons such as the judge being recused, restrictions on filing pre-motion letters, and arguing presidential immunity as a defense. The court attorney and District Attorney’s office opposed the delay, deeming Trump’s arguments meritless and stating that the judge would not benefit from the trial’s outcome. Trump’s lawyers filed an appeal with the state’s mid-level court to prevent jury selection from starting as scheduled, but the documents related to this appeal were sealed.
An appeals court judge denied Trump’s previous attempts to delay the trial while seeking to move it out of Manhattan and fighting a gag order. Trump accused Judge Juan M. Merchan, who is presiding over the case, of bias and conflict of interest due to his daughter’s connections with prominent Democrats. Merchan rejected similar requests in the past, including delaying the trial until the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity claims raised in Trump’s election interference case in Washington, D.C. The hush-money trial, set to begin on April 15, will be the first of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial and the first criminal trial ever of a former president.
The trial centers around allegations that Trump falsified his company’s records to conceal payments made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who helped suppress negative stories during Trump’s 2016 campaign. Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump. Despite Trump’s repeated attempts to delay the trial, the court has consistently denied his requests, leading to the trial proceeding as scheduled. The appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments related to Trump’s latest appeal at an emergency hearing, though the specific details of this latest attempt to delay the trial were kept confidential.
Trump’s legal battles continue as he faces multiple criminal indictments and trials, with the hush-money trial marking the first of these cases to go to trial. The former president’s efforts to delay the trial and discredit Judge Merchan have so far been unsuccessful, with the court dismissing his arguments as meritless. Trump’s accusations of bias and conflicts of interest against the judge have not swayed the court, as the trial is set to proceed on schedule despite Trump’s appeals. The outcome of this trial could have significant implications for Trump and his future legal challenges as he faces multiple criminal charges.
