Judge blocks Trump bid to move 34-count hush money case to federal court

A federal judge in Manhattan rejected President Donald Trump's renewed effort to shift his New York hush money criminal case into federal court, leaving in place the state-court conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled Friday that Trump's removal bid was untimely and legally insufficient, even after a federal appeals court told him to reconsider the request in light of the Supreme Court's 2024 presidential immunity decision. Hellerstein wrote that hush money payments tied to Stormy Daniels were not official presidential acts. Trump was convicted in May 2024 over a $130,000 payment made before the 2016 election and received an unconditional discharge in January 2025. His lawyers filed a notice of appeal later Friday.