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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 9 april 2024
New York appeals judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to delay

his April 15 hush money trial

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, of payments to his former
JAKE OFFENHARTZ and lawyer and fixer Michael
JENNIFER PELTZ Cohen, who helped him
Associated Press bury negative stories during
NEW YORK (AP) — A New his 2016 campaign. Cohen's
York appeals court judge on activities included paying
Monday rejected Donald porn actor Stormy Daniels
Trump's bid to delay his April $130,000 to suppress her
15 hush money criminal trial claims of an extramarital
while he fights to move the sexual encounter with Trump
case out of Manhattan — years earlier.
foiling the former president's Trump pleaded not guilty
latest attempt to put off the last year to 34 felony counts
historic trial. of falsifying business records.
Justice Lizbeth González He has denied having a sex-
of the state's mid-level ap- ual encounter with Daniels.
peals court made her ruling His lawyers argue the pay-
after an emergency hear- ments to Cohen were legiti-
ing where Trump's lawyers mate legal expenses.
asked to postpone the trial Trump's move Monday is
indefinitely while they seek the latest escalation in his
a change of venue. Trump battles with Merchan.
was seeking an emergen- Trump assailed the judge
cy stay, a court order that Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York, Thursday, March 14, 2024. on social media after he
would prevent the trial from Associated Press imposed a gag order last
starting on time. nesses, and so on." peal after Merchan ruled last separate court dockets. month barring Trump from
The hush money trial is the In a separate appellate month that the trial would One was styled as a lawsuit making public statements
first of Trump's his four crimi- matter, Trump's lawyers are begin April 15. His lawyers against Merchan, a legal about jurors, witnesses and
nal indictments slated to go also challenging a gag or- had pleaded to delay the mechanism allowing them others connected the case.
to trial and would be the first der imposed on him in the trial at least until summer to to challenge his rulings. After Trump's complaints,
criminal trial ever of a former case, which Merchan re- give them more time to re- In New York, judges can Merchan expanded the
president. cently expanded to prohibit view late-arriving evidence be sued over some judicial gag order to include mem-
Trump lawyer Emil Bove ar- Trump from making com- from a prior federal investi- decisions under a state law bers of his own family.
gued that the presumptive ments about the judge's gation into the matter. known as Article 78. Trump Last week, Trump renewed
Republican nominee faces family. The appeals court Merchan, who had already has used the tactic before, his request for the judge to
"real potential prejudice" signaled it would take up moved the trial from its origi- including against the judge step aside from the case,
as a defendant in heav- that matter at a later date. nal March 25 start date be- in his civil fraud case in an citing Merchan's daughter's
ily Democratic Manhattan. Paperwork relating to cause of the evidence issue, unsuccessful last-minute bid work as the head of a firm
Citing defense surveys and Trump's appeals were said no further delays were to delay that case last fall. whose clients have included
a review of media cover- placed under seal and not warranted. In this case, he is accused his rival President Joe Biden,
age, Bove argued that jury publicly available. Trump's lawyers filed their of falsifying his company's Vice President Kamala Harris
selection, scheduled to start Trump had pledged to ap- appeals Monday on two records to hide the nature and other Democrats.q
next Monday, "cannot pro-
ceed in a fair manner."
Trump has suggested on 3 dead, including suspect, after shooting inside Las
social media that the trial
should be moved to Staten Vegas law office, police say
Island, the only New York
City borough he won in 2016
and 2020. Associated Press after 10 a.m. at a law office
Steven Wu, appellate chief LAS VEGAS (AP) — A shoot- on the fifth floor of a mid-rise
for the Manhattan district ing Monday inside a law of- office building in the master-
attorney's office, noted that fice in the affluent Summerlin planned community. He did
trial Judge Juan M. Mer- neighborhood of Las Vegas not say if the shooter knew
chan had already rejected left three people dead, in- the victims or whether the
Trump's requests to move or cluding the shooter, police victims were employees of
delay the trial as untimely. said. the law office.
"The question in this case Clark County Sheriff Kevin The sheriff said police officers
is not whether a random McMahill said at a news were still working to clear
poll of New Yorkers from conference that investiga- the building and evacuate
whatever neighborhood tors believe the shooter killed the people sheltered inside,
are able to be impartial, it's himself. while investigators were
about whether a trial court "I want to make sure our searching the shooter's ve-
is able to select a jury of 12 community understands hicle in the office building's
impartial jurors," Wu said. there is no further threat," parking garage.
He blamed Trump for stok- he said. Summerlin spans roughly 13
ing pretrial publicity with McMahill said the victims Law enforcement responds to a shooting Monday, April 8, 2024 miles (21 kilometers) along
"countless media appear- were a man and a woman. at a law office in Las Vegas. Associated Press the city's western edge,
ances talking about the The names of the dead have about 30 minutes west of
facts of this case, the wit- not been released. According to McMahill, the shooting was reported just the Las Vegas Strip.q