In the latest twist of the ongoing legal battle surrounding former President Donald Trump, a federal judge has once again denied his bid to move his hush money case from New York state court to federal court.
Trump, who has been fighting this case on multiple fronts, had hoped to leverage a recent Supreme Court ruling that grants immunity for official acts performed while in office.
But the court wasn’t having it.
In a blunt order on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein made it clear: the hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels were “private, unofficial acts” that had nothing to do with Trump’s executive authority. So, no federal court intervention here.
Trump’s legal team, however, isn’t giving up without a fight.
Late Tuesday, they filed a notice of appeal, signaling their intention to take this battle to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
And the clock is ticking, with Trump’s sentencing scheduled for September 18.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to move this case out of state court. He was found guilty in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to that infamous hush money payment, which was allegedly made to keep Daniels quiet during the 2016 election.
But Trump has consistently denied the charges and vowed to appeal the verdict.
On the same day Judge Hellerstein issued his ruling, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office also weighed in.
In a letter to the New York judge overseeing the case, they argued there’s no reason to delay the September 18 sentencing.
They pointed out that any timing concerns are a result of Trump’s own legal maneuvers, which have delayed proceedings for nearly ten months. The D.A.’s office, though, left the timing of the sentencing up to the judge’s discretion.
Meanwhile, Trump has requested that Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, postpone the sentencing until after the November election and dismiss the case entirely based on presidential immunity. But as of now, Judge Merchan hasn’t made a decision on those requests.
