The decide overseeing Donald J. Trump’s prison case in Manhattan rejected his last-ditch bid to delay a trial past April 15, eradicating on Wednesday one of many remaining obstacles to the primary prosecution of a former American president.
Mr. Trump, who’s accused of protecting up a intercourse scandal surrounding the 2016 presidential marketing campaign, had requested the decide to delay the trial till after the Supreme Courtroom guidelines on whether or not he’s immune from prosecution over official acts he took whereas president. That concern arose in one other of his prison instances, and the Supreme Courtroom is predicted to listen to arguments this month, however won’t rule till June.
The decide within the Manhattan case, Juan M. Merchan, dominated that his trial didn’t want to attend for the Supreme Courtroom. He denied Mr. Trump’s effort as “premature,” ruling that he had didn’t request the delay by a authorized deadline.
The decide stated the request’s timing — simply weeks earlier than the trial was set to begin — additionally raised “actual questions concerning the sincerity and precise goal of the movement.”
He added: “The circumstances, seen as a complete, check this courtroom’s credulity.”
Mr. Trump’s effort was his newest bid to delay his 4 prison instances, that are unfolding in opposition to the backdrop of his marketing campaign to regain the White Home. If Mr. Trump can stall the instances till Election Day, and he wins the presidency, they might seemingly grind to a halt.
A few of his ways have paid off. In Florida, the place Mr. Trump is accused of mishandling labeled paperwork, a Trump-appointed decide has but to finalize a trial date. And in Washington, D.C., the place a federal particular counsel has accused Mr. Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, the Supreme Courtroom has paused the trial whereas it considers the immunity concern.
Within the Manhattan case, Mr. Trump secured a three-week delay, from late March to mid-April, after new investigative data emerged. However Mr. Trump wished to push again the trial additional. His attorneys sought a 90-day delay, or an outright dismissal, blaming prosecutorial misconduct for the last-minute cache of paperwork.
That accusation carried little weight with Justice Merchan, who lately confirmed the April 15 begin date and rebuked Mr. Trump’s authorized staff.
Mr. Trump’s attorneys, Todd Blanche and Susan R. Necheles, declined to remark.
The Manhattan case stems from a hush-money deal struck with a porn star, Stormy Daniels, within the remaining days of the 2016 marketing campaign. In a 34-count indictment final 12 months, the Manhattan district legal professional, Alvin L. Bragg, accused Mr. Trump of falsifying enterprise data associated to the payoff.
Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has denied the affair and the costs, which he claims are politically motivated.
The hassle to tug out the Manhattan case till after the Supreme Courtroom addressed the immunity concern appeared significantly far-fetched.
The Manhattan district legal professional’s workplace famous that Mr. Trump’s attorneys filed the request solely 17 days earlier than the trial was initially scheduled to begin, months after they filed different pretrial motions.
Mr. Trump’s attorneys, Justice Merchan famous, had already argued the identical concern in federal courtroom in Washington and but had failed to boost it with him.
The decide additionally appeared skeptical that the immunity declare had direct bearing on the costs introduced by Mr. Bragg.
At a listening to in February, Justice Merchan stated that “the difficulty of the state proceedings I don’t consider is for the Supreme Courtroom.”
In a footnote to Wednesday’s choice, Justice Merchan wrote that Mr. Trump “doesn’t seem to boost a declare of presidential immunity” that applies to the cover-up of the intercourse scandal.