Donald Trump’s lawyers are making efforts to delay the start of the president’s criminal New York hush money trial set to commence on April 15, despite slim chances of success. They have filed a motion to postpone the trial due to the publicity surrounding it, which Judge Juan Merchan has previously rejected. The former president also renewed a request for Merchan to recuse himself based on his daughter’s political work for Democratic politicians, a request that was dismissed last year as well. This is part of Trump’s broader strategy to push back all of his trials until after the 2024 election.
The motions to recuse and postpone the trial are among the outstanding issues that Merchan needs to decide on before the trial starts on April 15. Trump has also filed a motion for the trial to be delayed until the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity, with the Supreme Court not expected to hear the immunity arguments until April 25 and a ruling not likely until June. Despite these efforts, Merchan seems unlikely to be swayed and has only delayed the trial for three weeks last month due to a late production of discovery documents.
During the March 25 pre-trial hearing, Trump’s team requested Merchan to allow them to file a motion to adjourn due to pre-trial publicity. They argued that negative news coverage on Trump’s other trials and the timing of the case being brought against Trump so close to the election could bias jurors. However, Manhattan prosecutors have urged Merchan to reject the motion, arguing that pretrial publicity will continue regardless of the trial date and biased jurors can be weeded out through jury selection. Prosecutors emphasized the need to hold the trial sooner rather than later due to the substantial press attention on this criminal proceeding against a former president.
In a filing to the judge on Wednesday, prosecutors reiterated their stance on the pretrial publicity issue, stating that Trump’s strategy seems to be aimed at obtaining an open-ended delay of the trial. They emphasized that the trial’s nature as a criminal proceeding against a former president will always attract significant press attention, and delaying it indefinitely is not a viable solution. Trump’s lawyers have requested Merchan to file a motion seeking his recusal, citing his daughter’s work for a Democratic political group as grounds for recusal. However, Merchan has previously dismissed such requests and is unlikely to be influenced by this new argument.
Overall, Donald Trump’s legal team is facing multiple challenges in its efforts to delay the start of the president’s criminal New York hush money trial. Despite filing motions to postpone the trial and for Merchan’s recusal, the judge has previously rejected similar requests and is unlikely to grant further delays. Manhattan prosecutors have emphasized the need to proceed with the trial sooner rather than later, given the substantial press attention on this high-profile case. The outcome of the pending motions and decisions by Merchan will ultimately determine whether the trial goes ahead as scheduled on April 15.
