A judge in New York on Wednesday said no to Donald Trump’s request to delay his trial on April 15 for paying hush money to a porn star until the U.S. Supreme Court decides if he can be prosecuted for trying to overturn the 2020 election.
The Court will review Trump's claim of immunity from federal prosecution on April 25 for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump's lawyers in the New York case asked for the trial to be delayed in March, saying it is relevant because prosecutors want to use statements Trump made while president from 2017 to 2021 as evidence.
In a ruling on Wednesday, the judge said Trump took too long to bring up the immunity issue.
The judge wrote, “Defendant had many chances to bring up the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024.”
Todd Blanche, Trump's lawyer, chose not to comment.
Trump, the Republican candidate who challenged Biden in the Nov. 5 election, has pleaded not guilty in each of the four criminal charges against him.
The New York case might be the only one to go to trial before the election.
He is accused of falsifying business records to hide his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006.
Trump denies having any encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Trump also wants a delay because he thinks there's been too much news about the case, and possible jurors might think he's already guilty. The judge has not yet made a decision on that request.
Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, who charged Trump in 2023, opposed that request in a court filing made public on Wednesday.
They argued that Trump himself had caused a lot of the news coverage, and they could choose unbiased jurors during jury selection.
The Supreme Court’s decision to consider Trump’s appeal in the federal election interference case was a big win for him, delaying the trial’s start by at least a few months.
He also has a case in Georgia about his efforts to change the 2020 election results, and a case in Florida about his handling of sensitive government documents after he left office in 2021. Those cases also don't have set trial dates.
No U.S. president has ever been put on trial for a crime.
