US Judge Rejects Trump's Attempt to Move Hush-Money Case to Federal Court

A US judge has once again rejected Donald Trump's efforts to transfer his criminal hush-money case from state to federal court, dealing another blow to his attempts to overturn his felony conviction.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein dismissed Trump's petition for the third time on Friday, stating that the arguments presented were neither new nor legally sufficient. Hellerstein specifically ruled that presidential immunity does not extend to actions like paying hush money or covering up personal embarrassments, directly countering Trump's legal strategy which relied on a recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity.

Trump, who became the first US president to be convicted of a crime in 2024, was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors argued these actions were intended to conceal payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to avoid negative publicity during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has consistently denied any sexual liaison with Daniels.

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Paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity.

Despite the judge's ruling, Trump's lawyers have announced their intention to file a strong appeal. They denounced Hellerstein’s judgment as "baseless and lawless" and issued a statement asserting that President Trump "will continue defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn."

The case centers on a $130,000 payment allegedly made by Trump through his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to silence Daniels. While falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanor, it becomes a felony in New York if committed in service of another crime, such as influencing an election. Prosecutors contended that Trump's actions were aimed at unlawfully influencing the 2016 election outcome.

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President Trump will be filing a powerful appeal, and will continue defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn.