A New York appeals court judge rejected former President Trump’s attempt to delay the trial in the hush money payments case on Tuesday.
Justice Cynthia Kern issued the ruling, rejecting claims from Trump’s legal team that the trial should be delayed until a full panel of judges could hear arguments relating to a gag order on the former president.
“The First Amendment harms arising from this gag order right now are irreparable,” Trump lawyer Emil Bove argued at the hearing on Tuesday.
Bove went on to argue that Trump should not face a gag order when two star witnesses for the prosecution–porn star Stormy Daniels and former lawyer Michael Cohen–routinely criticize him in public.
Trump’s gag order, imposed by trial judge Juan Merchan, prevents him from speaking about jurors, witnesses and others in the trial.
Trump and his attorneys filed a motion requesting Merchan be recused from the trial altogether, due to his daughter’s Democrat-affiliated political work and his alleged “hostility” against the 2024 presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush-money payments he made to daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
