A New York state appeals court has denied another push from former President Donald Trump to halt what’s now a criminal trial in New York City on allegations against the ex-White House occupant of falsifying business records.
Trial proceedings started weeks ago, but Trump’s desperation on this other front apparently was ongoing. “This one sought delay because Justice Merchan declined to recuse himself, forced Team Trump to ask permission to file pre-trial motions, and denied immunity,” said journalist Adam Klasfeld, referring to the failed push.
Merchan — the presiding judge — rejected another push for his recusal (meaning exit) right as these proceedings got underway, and on the immunity front, Trump had tried to secure a halt in light of the arguments currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court of presidential immunity, meaning wide-ranging legal protections by mere virtue of serving as president. The idea was apparently not that the claims could completely stop this case but that some of its elements should or could be affected by the arguments, but Merchan declined the possibility of upending proceedings yet again.
The original context for the immunity claims is the federal criminal case against Trump alleging a series of conspiracies of 2020 election interference.
Trump’s other areas of complaint with the judge have included a gag order that remains active and led this week to $9,000 in financial penalties (the maximum for the violations) and a renewed threat of jail-time. The protections extend to witnesses, jurors, and others connected to the proceedings, like family members of certain participants (the judge, etc.), a category added only after Trump was publicly targeting a daughter of the judge. Trump’s team also used claims about Merchan’s daughter, who’s reportedly been involved in politics, to secure his recusal, meaning exit. But whatever the Trump team presented clearly wasn’t enough for that appeals court this time.
