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Jimmy Williams
In a significant legal blow to former President Donald Trump, a federal judge on Tuesday denied his final effort to transfer his New York hush money case to federal court. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that Trump’s personal actions, which are at the center of the case, do not qualify for federal jurisdiction or presidential immunity.
Trump’s legal team had argued that the charges, which stem from hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, were related to his official duties as president. They cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity as grounds for dismissing the charges and moving the case out of state court.
Judge Hellerstein disagreed, writing in his decision: “Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts.”
Trump’s lawyers had also contended that state judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, exhibited bias against the former president. They claimed that Merchan’s bias constituted grounds for the federal court to intervene. However, Hellerstein found no legal basis for this argument, noting that any concerns about bias should be addressed through the state appeals process rather than by removing the case to federal court.
“The alleged bias of a state judge does not present a federal question that would justify federal jurisdiction,” Hellerstein said in his ruling.
Trump’s legal troubles began when he was charged with 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records to cover up the $130,000 payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair. He was found guilty by a jury earlier this year, and the case is currently awaiting sentencing.
Trump’s legal team had sought to delay the sentencing until after the 2024 presidential election, and they have filed motions seeking a new trial. Those motions remain pending before Judge Merchan, who is expected to rule on them by September 16.
Despite these ongoing legal battles, Trump remains defiant. His lawyers argue that his conduct related to the hush money payments should be protected under presidential immunity, claiming some of the evidence used against him pertains to his official duties as president.
However, Judge Hellerstein firmly rejected this claim, stating: “Nothing in the Supreme Court’s opinion affects my previous conclusion that the hush money payments were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority.”
Prosecutors have pushed back against Trump’s efforts to delay sentencing, arguing that his legal tactics are designed to stall the process. In a letter to the court, they pointed out that Trump’s last-minute attempts to transfer the case to federal court came nearly ten months after he abandoned his initial appeal.
With Judge Hellerstein’s ruling, Trump’s legal options to move the case appear to be running out. Sentencing is set for September 18, though Trump could still appeal to delay the proceedings.
