Judge Juan Merchan has denied former President Donald Trump’s motion to delay his upcoming hush money criminal trial, slated to commence on April 15.
Trump sought the delay until after the US Supreme Court ruled on his claim of presidential immunity. However, Judge Merchan dismissed the motion on Wednesday, deeming it untimely and emphasizing that Trump’s legal team had ample time to address the issue.
In his order, Judge Merchan said, “This Court finds that Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024. After all, Defendant had already briefed the same issue in federal court and he was in possession of, and aware that, the People intended to offer the relevant evidence at trial that entire time. The circumstances, viewed as a whole, test this Court’s credulity.”
The criminal trial, centred on hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels, is set to commence with jury selection on April 15. Trump has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges.
While Judge Merchan previously ruled that Trump’s lawyers could object to the introduction of evidence they believe is tied to presidential acts, he refrained from further addressing the issue in Wednesday’s ruling.
Regarding Trump’s motion filed on March 7, it was initially lodged when the trial was scheduled to begin on March 25. However, a week later, the trial was postponed to mid-April due to a significant number of documents disclosed by federal prosecutors.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
Follow us on:
