Judge refuses to delay Trump’s “hush money” trial while Supreme Court weighs presidential immunity

Washington — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York rejected his last-minute bid to delay the start of the trial until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claim. 

Trump had asked to push back the start date for his trial, which is related to a “hush money” payment made by an attorney for Trump to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, until after the Supreme Court rules on whether he is shielded from criminal prosecution by “presidential immunity” in another one of his criminal cases. The trial is slated to begin April 15. 

Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan denied the request Wednesday, saying it was “untimely” and that Trump’s lawyers had months to raise the issue before the motion was filed in March. 

“This Court finds that Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024,” Merchan wrote. “Defendant could have done so in his omnibus motions on September 29, 2023, which were filed a mere six days before he briefed the same issue in his Federal Insurrection Matter and several months after he brought his motion for removal to federal court on May 4, 2023.” 

Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records tied to payments reimbursing his then-attorney Michael Cohen, who had paid the adult film star. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies all wrongdoing.