‘DENIED’: Judge Refuses to Delay Trump’s Trial While Supreme Court Weighs Presidential Immunity Claim

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s motion to delay the start of the former president’s criminal trial in Manhattan.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records that District Attorney Alvin Bragg says were used to conceal hush money payments to cover up Trump’s extramarital affairs. The ex-president has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Under indictment in four jurisdictions, Trump has sought to delay the criminal proceedings against him.

Attorneys for Trump asked Merchan to delay the April 15 start of the Manhattan trial until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether Trump is immune from prosecution for acts he committed as president. Merchan ruled that Trump’s motion was “untimely” because it failed to meet a filing deadline.

“Defendant’s motion is DENIED in its entirety as untimely,” the judge wrote.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would hear arguments on Trump’s immunity claims on April 25. Trump has claimed he cannot be prosecuted for anything he did while acting in his official capacity as president.

As he has done in his other criminal cases, Trump has assumed a combative tone toward those involved in his trials, including Merchan. The former president has taken matters a step further by repeatedly attacking Merchan’s daughter while also posting photos of her on social media. That behavior prompted Merchan to issue an expanded gag order designed to prevent Trump from singling out court staff members and their families, though Trump is free to continue criticizing Judge Merchan and Bragg.