A New York appeals court judge rejected the latest in a series of last-minute appeals filed by Donald Trump’s lawyers to try to delay his Stormy Daniels case.
Trump’s lawyers have been filing a series of motions to delay the trial, which is scheduled for jury selection in Manhattan on Monday.
The documents have asked Judge Juan Merchán to recuse himself, criticized a gag order as “unconstitutional restrictions” and claimed presidential immunity.
On Wednesday, a judge denied their attempt to stop the case as they question Judge Merchán and protest his rulings.
Judge Ellen Gesmer ruled against him for the third time in as many days on Wednesday.
“The one in New York is totally discredited,” Donald Trump told reporters when he arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, for a fundraiser. ‘All the jurists said they have no case’
“We are here for this suspension because there are restrictions that cannot operate constitutionally in a trial environment,” Trump lawyer Emil Bove said at an emergency hearing.
‘It is an incredibly important judgment. It is a historic and unprecedented procedure,’ he stated. “This can only be done once and it must be done right.”
He tried to persuade the court that Merchan “exceeded his authority” and that critical evidence could be excluded.
Steven Wu, an attorney for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, argued that delays would harm the state.
“To postpone the trial at this time would be incredibly disturbing,” he said. “The court, the people and the witnesses have made extraordinary efforts to ensure that this trial can take place on Monday.”
It’s a case that could include blockbuster testimony from porn star Stormy Daniels and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen.
Donald Trump’s lawyers launched a last-ditch effort Wednesday to delay the start of his hush money trial on Monday, filing another appeal.
It is the latest round of a campaign to stop the first of four criminal trials set to begin next week.
Twice this week, New York appeals courts rejected other attempts to postpone the case.
The latest filing is a petition against Judge Juan Merchán, challenging his decision not to recuse himself from the case, as well as his refusal to hear arguments about presidential immunity, according to ABC News.
The former president is due to appear in a New York court on Monday when jury selection will begin in his corporate fraud trial.
Trump is due to appear in a New York court on Monday for the start of his trial. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges related to falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign.
Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges related to falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign.
It may be the only one of his four cases to be completed before the November presidential election, and his lawyers have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to divert it.
Arriving in Atlanta, Georgia, Trump repeated his claim that he was a victim of an armed legal system.
“The one in New York is totally discredited,” he told reporters. ‘All the jurists said they have no case.
‘It’s something horrible. But it is electoral interference. Everything is directed by the White House.
There was no immediate indication Wednesday of when the latest petition would be heard.
It revolves around issues of presidential immunity. Merchan has previously said that Trump did not file the claim on time.
“This court finds that the defendant had countless opportunities to raise the presidential immunity claim well before March 7, 2024,” he wrote earlier this month.
Last week, Judge Juan Merchán rejected Trump’s motion that he was entitled to presidential immunity, writing that he had “infinite opportunities” to raise the issue sooner.
Legal scholars have said New York’s case may be one of the weakest Trump faces.
However, a new poll found that a sizable majority of voters consider them serious.
Nearly two-thirds of registered voters described the charges as at least “somewhat serious,” compared with 34% who said the charges lacked seriousness in the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Trump faces a busy legal schedule even as the clock ticks toward Election Day.
Also on Wednesday, former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in prison after admitting to perjury charges for lying to investigators and a judge about Trump’s finances.
It will be his second stint behind bars after spending three months in New York’s Rikers Island jail last year for his role in a 15-year tax fraud.