Judge denies Trump’s bid to adjourn hush money case due to pretrial publicity
A federal judge has denied former President Donald Trump’s request to postpone a hush money case due to pretrial publicity. The case involves allegations that Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.
In his ruling, Judge John G. Koeltl of the Southern District of New York said that there was no evidence that the pretrial publicity had prejudiced the case or made it impossible for Trump to receive a fair trial. He noted that the case had already received significant media attention and that any further delay would only serve to prolong the proceedings.
Trump’s legal team had argued that the publicity surrounding the case, including comments made by Daniels and Cohen in interviews and on social media, had tainted the jury pool and made it impossible for Trump to receive a fair trial. They requested an adjournment of at least six months to allow the publicity to die down.
However, Judge Koeltl disagreed, stating that the court had the tools to ensure a fair trial, including jury selection procedures and instructions to jurors to disregard any outside information they may have heard about the case. He also noted that the case had been pending for over two years and that further delay would only serve to harm the interests of justice.
The hush money case is just one of several legal battles facing Trump since leaving office. He is also under investigation for his role in inciting the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol and faces numerous civil lawsuits related to his business dealings and alleged sexual misconduct.
Despite the setback in the hush money case, Trump’s legal team has vowed to continue fighting the allegations and maintain his innocence. It remains to be seen how the case will proceed in the coming months and what impact it may have on Trump’s political future.
