Donald Trump’s request to delay his hush money criminal trial has been denied for the third time this week. His arguments for the delay included the recusal of Judge Juan M. Merchan, restrictions on filing pre-motion letters, and the defense’s ability to argue presidential immunity. The District Attorney’s office and court administration disagreed with Trump’s requests, calling them meritless, and the court’s attorney stated that Judge Merchan would not benefit from the outcome of the trial. Trump’s lawyers have filed an appeal with the state’s mid-level appeals court to prevent jury selection from starting as scheduled and to sue Merchan under a state law known as Article 78.
Trump has also demanded that Judge Merchan step aside from the case, citing bias and conflict of interest due to his daughter’s work with clients that include President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Merchan has not yet ruled on Trump’s requests for delay based on prejudicial media coverage or his pending request to delay the trial until the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity claims in a separate case related to election interference. The hush money trial, set to start on April 15, is the first of four criminal indictments against Trump and would be the first criminal trial of a former president. He is accused of falsifying company records to hide payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump’s defense argued that the trial should be delayed until the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity claims in a separate case, but Merchan rejected this request last week. The trial involves allegations that Trump falsified records to conceal payments to Michael Cohen, who assisted in burying negative stories during the 2016 campaign, including a payment to Stormy Daniels to suppress her claims of an extramarital encounter with Trump. Trump’s continued attempts to delay the trial have been met with opposition from the court and the District Attorney’s office, who dispute the merits of the arguments presented by Trump’s legal team.
The former president’s efforts to delay the trial have been unsuccessful, with multiple judges denying his requests this week. His appeal to the mid-level appeals court seeks to prevent jury selection and to sue Judge Merchan under Article 78. Trump has also made claims of bias against Merchan due to his daughter’s work with clients affiliated with Democrats, though Merchan has not yet ruled on these allegations. The trial is set to proceed as planned on April 15, marking a historic event as the first criminal trial of a former president. The case involves allegations of falsifying records to hide payments related to hush money, with the outcome potentially impacting the future of Trump’s legal battles.
