Former President Donald Trump has requested a postponement of his upcoming hush money trial in New York.
The request, directed to the presiding judge, seeks to delay the trial until a ruling is made by the US Supreme Court on a separate matter concerning presidential immunity claims.
Trump’s legal team, led by attorneys Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, filed a motion on March 7, which became public on Monday, asking Justice Juan Merchan to adjourn the trial indefinitely. The defense argues that some of the evidence and alleged acts in the hush money case overlap with Trump’s tenure in the White House, thus raising questions about the applicability of presidential immunity.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on April 25 regarding the immunity issue, which stems from another criminal case involving Trump in Washington, D.C. This case alleges that Trump worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election leading up to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
The New York trial, which is set to begin with jury selection on March 25, centers on allegations that Trump falsified his company’s records to conceal the nature of payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. These payments were part of an effort to suppress negative stories during the 2016 presidential campaign, including a $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
As the first of four criminal cases against Trump poised to go to trial, the outcome of this request may set a precedent for how the others proceed, especially with the 2024 presidential election on the horizon.
