Trump can’t catch a break thanks to some of these devious judges.
In a pivotal decision on Wednesday, a New York judge, Justice Juan Merchan, dismissed former President Trump’s assertion of presidential immunity in his hush money case, citing procedural tardiness in raising the defense. This ruling effectively eliminates one avenue for Trump to postpone his impending trial, which is poised to mark a historic event as the first criminal trial of a former president, scheduled to commence on April 15.
Unlike his previous criminal indictments, Trump refrained from asserting immunity against the 34 charges in the hush money case, which trace back to payments made prior to his presidency. However, in recent weeks, Trump pivoted to asserting that certain trial evidence desired by prosecutors would be inadmissible if the Supreme Court upholds his immunity claims in other cases. He aimed to stall the trial until after the Supreme Court’s decision on the immunity issue, with oral arguments scheduled for April 25.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office opposed Trump’s motion, leading to Merchan’s decisive denial, labeling it as “untimely” and refusing to delve into the discussion of presidential immunity’s applicability in a criminal trial.
With this ruling, Trump’s hush money prosecution progresses closer to trial, notwithstanding a pending effort to adjourn the schedule due to concerns over “prejudicial pretrial publicity.” Barring any unforeseen developments, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is primed to proceed with Trump’s trial on 34 counts of falsifying business records within the upcoming two weeks. Bragg alleges Trump of unlawfully concealing hush money payments to suppress detrimental information from voters preceding the 2016 presidential election, to which Trump has pleaded not guilty.
This development mirrors similar outcomes in Trump’s other criminal cases where his claims of presidential immunity have faced scrutiny. Notably, the Supreme Court, earlier in the year, engaged with Trump’s assertions in his federal election interference case, ultimately rejecting his argument that a president enjoys immunity from criminal charges stemming from their actions during office.
The trial judge in Washington, D.C., and a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals firmly repudiated Trump’s contention, emphasizing that post-presidency, Trump assumes the status of a regular citizen regarding legal defenses, refusing to accord perpetual immunity to former presidents. Trump’s claims of immunity have also surfaced in his federal classified documents case and Georgia election interference case, yet adjudications on this matter are pending in those instances.
