Former President Donald Trump has made a last-minute plea to a New York appeals court to reverse a gag order and relocate his upcoming hush-money criminal trial out of Manhattan. The emergency hearing was scheduled after Trump's legal team challenged pretrial rulings by Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan.
The appeal documents, which are under seal, reportedly address Trump's gag order and his request to move the trial out of heavily Democratic Manhattan. Trump's lawyers have sought to delay the trial, currently set to begin on April 15, to allow more time for reviewing late-arriving evidence from a prior federal investigation related to the case.
Merchan had previously denied requests for trial delays, stating that further postponements were unwarranted. Trump's legal team filed appeals against Merchan's rulings using a legal mechanism that allows challenging judicial decisions in New York.
The hush-money trial, the first of Trump's four criminal indictments, is significant as it would be the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. Trump faces charges of falsifying his company's records to conceal payments made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who assisted in suppressing negative stories during the 2016 campaign.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts and denied allegations of a sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels, for which Cohen made payments. His defense argues that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses.
Trump's recent actions, including challenging the gag order and seeking a change of trial venue, mark the latest developments in his ongoing legal battles with Judge Merchan. The former president has raised concerns about bias and conflicts of interest, leading to requests for the judge to recuse himself from the case.
Despite Trump's efforts to delay the trial on various grounds, including claims of prejudicial media coverage and presidential immunity, Merchan has maintained the trial schedule. The legal proceedings continue to unfold as Trump navigates multiple criminal cases in New York.
