- President Trump had hoped to delay the first criminal trial, saying he needed time to fight the gag order.
- A Manhattan appellate judge denied his request and the trial date remained April 15.
- President Trump continues to appeal to his gag, which prohibits him from making statements about witnesses, jurors, etc.
Donald Trump on Monday lost his 10th attempt to delay a hush money trial, this time over a gag order.
President Trump had hoped to delay the first criminal trial long enough to launch a full appeal against the gag.
Associate Justice Cynthia Kahn, an appellate judge in Manhattan, denied the request for a delay Monday morning after brief arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Khan's written decision did not provide any reasons for the denial, allowing the trial to continue on April 15.
Her decision also allows Trump to continue his appeal of the gag order, which his lawyers said would cause “ongoing and irreparable harm” to both the Republican presidential candidate and voters. claims to be giving.
Prosecutors filed a complaint on April 3 regarding what they called “the eighth request by the defendant to postpone the commencement of this case.”
The effort, which is still being decided by a judge, is seeking a delay due to “pretrial publicity.”
Since then, Trump has filed two more requests for a delay, both of which were rejected by a Manhattan appeals judge this week, bringing the total to 10 attempts to postpone the trial date.
President Trump lost an emergency bid Monday to move the trial from Manhattan. Appellate efforts can continue, but parties have until April 22 to file a change of venue motion, which does not affect the April 15 trial date.
President Trump's gag order, the focus of Monday's hearing, prohibits him from interfering with the trial by making comments about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors or the families of District Attorney Alvin Bragg and state Supreme Court Justice Juan Marchan. ing.
Defense attorney Emile Bove cited language from last year's Court of Appeals ruling in Trump's D.C. election interference case, saying Trump's public comments about the case were simply “disrespectful and disrespectful.” he told the judge.
Bove said prosecutors “have not argued that any of President Trump's comments rise to the level of incitement” or pose a clear and present danger to others. did.
Bove also argued that the gag harmed not just Trump, but also the public, which has a right to hear the former president's unfiltered opinion on key witnesses, repeating previous defense arguments. Ta.
In particular, he said the public has a right to hear Trump criticize the Democratic leanings of Lauren Marchan, the daughter of a political consultant who has worked for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. .
Bove argued that the attack on Machan was part of a motion to remove the judge and should be done on an impartial basis.
Mr. Bragg's senior appellate lawyer, Stephen Wu, countered on Monday that Mr. Trump's comments “are expected to lead to a barrage of attacks” by the former president's followers.
Wu is believed to be referring to current and former employees of the Trump Organization, including those who have come forward to testify in our cases, including witnesses who simply testify about the company's record-keeping. “It's already difficult to find witnesses.”
“They know the consequences of their names in the media,” Wu told the appellate judges.
With only one adjournment bid yet to be decided, it remains likely that the trial will proceed smoothly until jury selection begins on April 15th.
Prosecutors allege that President Trump forged 34 business documents to hide a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
They claim the payment, which silenced Daniels just 11 days before the 2016 election, violates tax and campaign finance laws.
Tampering with business documents is typically a misdemeanor under New York state law, but the charge increases to a felony if the falsification is done to conceal an underlying crime.
President Trump has denied falsifying the documents and has repeatedly maintained that he did not have sex with Daniels.
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