The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York has denied his request to postpone the trial due to prejudicial pretrial publicity. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s bid on April 12, citing that the request for an indefinite adjournment was untenable and that the publicity surrounding the trial was partly a result of Trump’s own actions.
Trump sought to delay the trial, scheduled for April 15, claiming that the overwhelming bias against him in New York County, where the trial is taking place, was exacerbated by prejudicial media coverage.
Prosecutors argued against the motion, stating that a thorough jury vetting process could ensure the selection of an impartial jury and that Trump’s own rhetoric was contributing to the media attention. Justice Merchan agreed with these arguments and rejected Trump’s request for a postponement.
This ruling marks the fourth unsuccessful attempt by Trump to delay the trial this week. Earlier attempts included challenges to a gag order and requests for a change of venue, all of which were denied.
The trial, set to begin on Monday, involves Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charging Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records. The case alleges that Trump engaged in a scheme to influence the 2016 election by concealing payments related to an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.
Despite the rejections of his requests for adjournment, Trump stated that he is prepared to testify at the trial if called upon to do so.
Catherine Yang and Reuters contributed to this report.
Please rephrase the sentence.
Source link
