Judge again keeps Trump’s 34-count hush money case in state court
What’s next: Trump’s lawyers appealed to the 2nd Circuit after the ruling shut down a bid to use presidential immunity arguments to undo the conviction.
A federal judge on Friday again rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to move his New York hush money criminal case from state court to federal court, leaving intact the venue for the case tied to his 34 felony convictions. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that Trump’s latest removal request came too late and did not show legally sufficient grounds. Trump was convicted in May 2024 of falsifying business records tied to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. His lawyers had argued that the Supreme Court’s 2024 presidential immunity decision barred some trial evidence because it involved official conduct. Hellerstein wrote that hush money discussions were not official acts. Trump’s attorneys later filed a notice of appeal.