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President Trump will head back to New York for yet another trial on April 15, following Judge Juan Merchan’s decision to reject a request from the president’s legal team to delay the trial.
RSBN previously reported that Merchan had refused to delay the trial, but this new rejection comes amid Trump’s arguments that the proceedings should be paused until the U.S. Supreme Court decides on the issue of presidential immunity.
Judge Merchan said that the motion could have been raised earlier, but it is important to note that SCOTUS is currently scheduled to hear arguments on the presidential immunity case on April 25, per the Associated Press.
Earlier this week, Trump was hit with an expanded gag order in the “hush money” case, after he raised concerns about the alleged political motivations of the judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, and her association with a political consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns. Per RSBN, her firm has been accused of utilizing the high-profile case – which is being overseen by her father – to fundraise millions of dollars for Democrat clients.
President Trump has argued that he has presidential immunity from prosecution, and this is an argument that has been taken up by the Supreme Court amidst the president’s swirl of multiple legal battles.
“A president shouldn’t have that on his mind, and he has to have a free and clear mind when he makes very big decisions or it’s going to be nothing more than a ceremonial post,” he stated in March.
Last month, he heralded the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the presidential immunity issue as a step in the right direction for the rule of law. “It’s a big step toward unification,” he told the press.
In the current case being overseen by Judge Merchan, Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts related to allegedly “falsifying” business records, and he has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
