The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s upcoming New York criminal trial has denied his motion to delay the start of the trial until after the US Supreme Court rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claim. Judge Juan Merchan denied the motion on Wednesday, calling it untimely and noting that Trump’s lawyers had ample time to file a motion over the issue.
In his order, Judge Merchan stated, “This Court finds that Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024. After all, Defendant had already briefed the same issue in federal court and was aware that the People intended to offer the relevant evidence at trial during that time. The circumstances, viewed as a whole, test this Court’s credulity.”
