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Trump’s Trial Turmoil: NY Appeals Judge Denies Delay Request

A New York appeals court judge denied Donald Trump's request to postpone his hush money trial as he tries to move it out of Manhattan, thwarting his efforts to delay the historic trial. The trial, Trump's first of four criminal indictments, will be the first criminal trial of a former president. Despite Trump's attempts to change venue, the trial is set to begin on April 15, with the judge expanding the gag order due to Trump's social media outbursts.

Staff Editor April 9, 2024

In a recent turn of events in the Big Apple, a New York appeals court judge has shut down Donald Trump’s attempt to delay his upcoming hush money criminal trial. Justice Lizbeth González of the state’s mid-level appeals court made it crystal clear that Trump won’t be able to weasel his way out of facing the music on April 15th, much to the dismay of the former president. Trump’s legal team was pushing for an indefinite postponement of the trial while they scrambled to change the trial’s venue out of Manhattan, but Justice González promptly put an end to those hopes.

The impending hush money trial holds significant weight as it marks the first of four criminal indictments against Trump that are set to go to trial. If that isn’t enough to make history, it would also become the first criminal trial ever of a former president. The trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, made headlines recently when he beefed up the gag order after Trump took to social media to vent his frustrations at his own daughter, a Democratic political consultant. Talk about family drama on a whole new level!

While Trump’s legal team was left reeling from the appeals court’s decision, the Manhattan district attorney’s office seemed pretty pleased with the outcome. Steven Wu, the appellate chief, pointed out that Judge Merchan had already shot down Trump’s previous attempts to either move or delay the trial, deeming them as untimely. As the legal battle raged on in the courtrooms, Judge Merchan laid out his plans for jury selection, giving a sneak peek into what potential jurors can expect to be grilled about regarding their views on Trump.

Trump, known for his flair for the dramatics, has not taken this setback lying down. He’s been pulling out all the stops to stall the inevitable, even going as far as renewing his request for Judge Merchan to step down from the case. Trump cited the judge’s daughter’s professional ties to top Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as grounds for his request. Nevertheless, it seems like Lady Justice isn’t in the mood for any more delays, as Trump’s trial is all set to kick off come April 15th. Let the legal fireworks begin – this trial is shaping up to be one for the history books.