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In a swift decision, a New York appeals judge rejected Donald Trump's latest attempt to postpone his criminal trial involving hush money payments. Trump had sought a delay while challenging a gag order that prohibited him from discussing potential witnesses and making certain statements about individuals connected to the case.
The judge's ruling came shortly after a hearing where lawyers representing Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg debated the scope of the gag order. Trump's attorney, Emil Bove, argued that the order unfairly restricted Trump's ability to respond to public criticisms from witnesses like Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen. On the other hand, Steven Wu, representing the D.A., argued that the order was necessary to prevent personal attacks.
The gag order, issued by Presiding Judge Juan Merchan, also prevented Trump from targeting the judge's family members and the D.A.'s family members. Trump's legal team had previously attempted to have Judge Merchan recuse himself from the case, citing the judge's daughter's work for a Democratic political consultant as a conflict of interest.
Despite these efforts, the appeals judge upheld the gag order and denied Trump's request for a delay. The trial is set to begin in six days, and Trump faces charges of falsifying business records related to a payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election.
This decision marked Trump's second failed attempt in less than 24 hours to postpone the trial. Earlier, another appellate judge had denied a request by Trump to move the case out of Manhattan Supreme Court. Both requests were part of a last-minute appeal filed using a legal procedure known as Article 78.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from allegations that he concealed the hush money payment to Daniels, a porn star, in the lead-up to the 2016 election, which he ultimately won against Hillary Clinton.