New York Judge Denies Request To Postpone Trump Hush Money Trial Based On Presidential Immunity Claim

Posted by: lukwago J in world news April 4, 2024

In a recent development, the New York Judge Juan Merchan has ruled against a request to delay the trial involving former President Donald Trump and the hush money case.

The trial, which centers around allegations of payments made to conceal extramarital affairs, has faced a significant legal hurdle over the claim of presidential immunity.

Merchan said that the request of the former president was untimely and ruled that his lawyers had many opportunities to raise the issue of presidential immunity issue before but they chose to raise it in a 7 March court filing.

The judge on Wednesday (April 3) ruled that former president Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution in the hush money case since he did not invoke the defence in a timely manner.

However the rejection of the delay request by the New York judge signifies a significant step forward in the legal proceedings. The defense team had argued that Trump’s status as a former president granted him immunity from prosecution.

However, the judge’s decision indicates that the trial will proceed as scheduled, without granting special treatment based on the presidential immunity claim.

Trump has consistently denied these allegations

The case revolves around allegations that Trump and his associates made payments to women who claimed to have had affairs with him in order to prevent the information from becoming public during his presidential campaign. Such actions could potentially constitute violations of campaign finance laws.

It is worth noting that former President Trump has consistently denied these allegations. Nevertheless, the court’s refusal to delay the trial indicates that the legal system will thoroughly examine the evidence and determine whether there is a case to be answered.

Meanwhile, Trump’s defence team argued, “If this case is presented to a jury—which it should not be—the jury would be forced to resolve factual issues relating to not only PRA categorizations but also documents’ alleged classification status.”

“Not a single one had heard Trump say that he was designating records as personal or that, at the time he caused the transfer of boxes to Mar-a-Lago, he believed that his removal of records amounted to designating them as personal under the PRA,” stated the special counsel.

As the trial moves forward, it remains to be seen how the proceedings will unfold and what impact they may have on the former president.

The rejection of the bid to delay the trial suggests that the legal process will continue regardless of claims of presidential immunity, emphasizing the importance of equal treatment under the law.

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