Donald Trump’s attorneys have once again failed in their latest attempt to delay a case scheduled to commence in a Manhattan courthouse next week. This marks the third emergency petition to forestall the trial, which centers on accusations of false business record creation to camouflage his 2016 monetary settlement to Stormy Daniels.
Initially, Trump’s legal team contended that a fair hearing was impossible in Manhattan, asserting that reasons for this claim ranged from the majority of borough inhabitants voting for Hillary Clinton, to prejudiced pretrial publicity due to disparaging remarks made by Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen. However, this proposal was promptly dismissed by Justice Lizbeth Gonzalez.
Following that, the focus of Trump’s second emergency motion, submitted under New York’s Civil Practice Law and Rule Article 78, was a gag order. His counsel argued for a trial deferral while litigating for their client’s right to combat allegations by maligning Cohen and Daniels – an argument that DA swiftly countered, pointing out Trump’s track record of online attacks against his adversaries. Justice Cynthia Kern dismissed this appeal as well.
The third emergency appeal, another Article 78 petition, alleged that the rulings of Justice Merchán were causing persistent, irreversible constitutional harm to Trump and voters, implying that without intervention, a fair trial would be unachievable.
The Washington Post’s Shayna Jacobs suggested that the arguments were no more coherent presented in person, noting the lawyer’s complaints about presidential immunity defense, failure to recuse, and prohibitions against filing unnecessary motions on the trial’s eve. After considering all sides, Justice Ellen Gesmer denied the application for a stay of proceedings.
Though speculation is ripe for more last-minute motions from Trump’s lawyers, it is uncertain what form these may take.
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