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Jimmy Williams
A judge overseeing Donald Trump’s upcoming criminal trial in Manhattan has rejected his attempt to postpone the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on his claim of “presidential immunity” in another criminal case.
The decision, issued on Wednesday, blocks Trump’s efforts to further delay the trial, which is set to commence on April 15 after a recent postponement.
Justice Juan Merchan deemed Trump’s delay request untimely, stating that Trump waited too long to invoke the immunity argument and sought to prevent prosecutors from using certain evidence just 17 days before the trial’s original start date. Merchan raised doubts about the sincerity of Trump’s motion, given its timing.
The Supreme Court is slated to hear oral arguments on April 25 regarding Trump’s immunity claim in a federal election case, where he faces charges related to spreading misinformation about the 2020 election. A decision is anticipated by June’s end, and waiting for it would further prolong the Manhattan trial.
Merchan emphasized that Trump had ample opportunities to assert presidential immunity earlier. The Manhattan trial revolves around Trump’s alleged involvement in paying hush money to a porn star during the 2016 campaign, although some evidence pertains to actions taken during his presidency.
Trump’s attorneys voiced concerns about prosecutors introducing evidence of a 2018 “pressure campaign” by Trump to intimidate his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who arranged the hush money payments. The extent of a former president’s immunity from criminal charges remains largely untested, with experts suggesting it may only cover charges related to official duties.
