Donald Trump was unsuccessful in his attempt to persuade a New York appeals court to postpone a forthcoming criminal trial related to a hush money scheme. This comes as he challenges a gag order that prevents him from publicly criticizing trial participants and the family members of court staff.
In a recent development, a state appeals court judge has dismissed his second last-minute effort to prolong the trial. This decision comes just a day after a judge denied his request to postpone the proceedings while he attempts to change the trial venue from Manhattan.
Mr. Trump is making further efforts to postpone the proceedings, which come after multiple unsuccessful attempts to halt the first of four upcoming criminal trials he is likely to face in the coming months.
In a significant development, the former president faced his first criminal indictment last year. A grand jury accused him of falsifying business records in relation to the payments made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. It was alleged that these payments were part of a hush money scheme aimed at suppressing damaging stories about Mr. Trump’s affair with an adult film star. The indictment consisted of 34 counts against the former president.
According to prosecutors, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, led by Alvin Bragg, may depend on Cohen’s testimony regarding Mr. Trump’s authorization of fraudulent payments being filed as legitimate expenses. This alleged action was supposedly aimed at suppressing stories that could have impacted Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The defendant has entered a plea of not guilty.
On Monday, a full state appeals court panel will commence its review of his request for a trial delay, coinciding with the start of jury selection. Mr. Trump’s legal team has until 10am on Monday to provide their response.
Later this month, the panel will also review his challenge to Judge Merchan’s gag order.
Judge Merchan issued a gag order that prohibits former President Trump from making any statements with the intent to interfere with the ongoing case. This order was issued in response to Mr. Trump’s remarks about his daughter on Truth Social.
The judge recently broadened the scope of the order to include a prohibition on attacks against the family members of court staff and attorneys involved in the case. This decision was made in response to the judge’s recognition of the “very real” threat posed by Mr. Trump to the integrity of the trial.
Judge Merchan expressed concern that anyone who becomes involved in the proceedings, even in a minor way, may need to worry not only for themselves but also for their loved ones.
He added that these concerns will definitely disrupt the fair administration of justice and pose a direct threat to the rule of law.
Judge Merchan has also dismissed Mr. Trump’s efforts to postpone the trial until the US Supreme Court makes a decision regarding his defense of “presidential immunity” in a separate criminal case related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The judge is still considering Mr. Trump’s claim that he won’t receive a fair trial due to biased media coverage. Mr. Trump has proposed that the case be relocated to Staten Island, the only New York borough where he emerged victorious in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Judge Merchan has not yet made a ruling on Mr. Trump’s motions for the judge to recuse himself from the case. This is due to the judge’s daughter’s involvement in political work.
On Monday, Mr. Bragg’s office dismissed the demands made by his lawyers, which prosecutors deemed as an attempt to “pollute” the court and prolong Mr. Trump’s attacks. They viewed it as a baseless effort to question the integrity of the proceedings.
