The US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected on Tuesday former US President Donald Trump’s motion to move his New York hush money case to federal court. This attempt aimed to potentially overturn Trump’s conviction and delay his sentencing until after the presidential election in November.
Trump’s legal team argued last week in their filing that the New York state court was biased and had “violated the Presidential immunity doctrine” by leveraging evidence based on Trump’s official acts while in office. The request referenced a recent decision by the US Supreme Court, which stated that former US presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their “official responsibility.”
US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein quickly dismissed Trump’s bias argument on jurisdictional grounds, stating that “this Court does not have jurisdiction to hear [] Trump’s arguments concerning the propriety of the New York Trial.” This decision was based on the US Supreme Court case Rooker v. Fidelity Trust Co., which held that no other court may reverse or modify state judgments. Hellerstein also emphasized that issues of bias or unfairness at the trial court level are “issues for state appellate courts.”
In addition, Hellerstein rejected Trump’s claim of “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution” for official presidential acts. He noted that Trump failed to demonstrate how the payment of hush money fell within the “bounds of executive authority.”
The case continues at the state level, with the trial court judge expected to issue an opinion on whether the conviction might be overturned for the stated reasons by September 16. Concurrently, Trump has sought to delay state court proceedings pending his federal court filings, including an appeal of Tuesday’s ruling to a federal appellate court. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has submitted a letter urging the state trial judge to proceed with the decision and sentencing.
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