Former President Donald Trump has issued a significant caution just days prior to the commencement of his trial in New York. An 11th-hour ruling by a New York appeals court judge has dismissed former President Donald Trump’s plea to postpone his criminal trial on April 15, as he endeavors to relocate the case away from Manhattan.
On Monday, the former president’s latest endeavor to delay the momentous trial was unsuccessful, as a New York appeals court judge denied his request to postpone the criminal trial until April 15, while he pursued the relocation of the case outside of Manhattan. Shortly after the ruling, Trump promptly sent a fundraising email to his supporters, cautioning that “they desire to incarcerate me.”
“ONE WEEK UNTIL ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! My SHAM trial in New York begins. THEY WANT ME IN PRISON,” he wrote in a fundraising message.
According to the Associated Press, this upcoming trial would mark the first criminal trial of a former president and the first of the four criminal indictments that Trump is scheduled to face. Trump’s attorney, Emil Bove, has expressed concerns about potential prejudice as his client is the presumed Republican nominee and Manhattan leans Democratic. Bove argued that jury selection cannot be conducted fairly, referring to defense surveys and media analysis.
Trump has suggested moving the trial to Staten Island, the only New York City borough he won in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, through social media. However, the Manhattan district attorney’s office appellate chief, Steven Wu, highlighted that Judge Juan M. Merchan had previously denied Trump’s requests to reschedule or postpone the trial, deeming them premature.
“The question in this case is not whether a random poll of New Yorkers from whatever neighborhood are able to be impartial, it’s about whether a trial court is able to select a jury of 12 impartial jurors,” Wu said. He blamed Trump for stoking pretrial publicity with “countless media appearances talking about the facts of this case, the witnesses, and so on.”
Trump’s attorneys have filed an additional appeal challenging the gag order imposed on him during the case. The order was recently extended by Merchan to prevent Trump from discussing the judge’s family. The appeals court has indicated that it will review this matter at a later time.
The documents related to Trump’s appeals have been sealed and kept confidential. After Merchan decided that the trial would commence on April 15, Trump had made a commitment to file an appeal. His attorneys had requested a trial postponement until the summer to allow for further examination of recently discovered evidence from a previous federal investigation related to the case.
Due to an issue with the evidence, Merchan had already rescheduled the trial from its original start date of March 25 and stated that no further delays were necessary. On Monday, Trump’s attorneys submitted their appeals on two separate court dockets. One of these appeals took the form of a lawsuit against Merchan, providing them with a legal avenue to contest his decisions. Under Article 78 of New York state law, judges have the ability to file lawsuits regarding specific rulings. Trump has previously utilized this strategy, notably in an unsuccessful attempt to postpone his civil fraud case last autumn by challenging the judge.
In this particular case, he stands accused of forging company documents to hide the nature of payments made to his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who aided him in suppressing negative news during his 2016 campaign. One of Cohen’s actions involved giving $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to refute her allegations of an extramarital affair with Trump years ago.
Facing 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, Trump pleaded not guilty last year. He has denied any sexual involvement with Daniels. His legal team argues that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses. The latest development in his legal battles with Merchan occurred on Monday. Following a gag order issued by the judge last month, which prohibited Trump from discussing the case, witnesses, or jury in public, Trump criticized the judge on social media. In response to Trump’s complaints, Merchan expanded the gag order to include his family members.
Pointing to Merchan’s daughter’s position as the head of a company that has worked with Democratic opponents Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Trump reiterated his request last week for the judge to step down from the case. Trump alleges that the judge is biased against him and has a conflict of interest due to his daughter’s employment. Last August, the judge rejected a similar request.