Politics

Trump asks judge to delay New York criminal trial until Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity

Adam Reiss, Lisa Rubin, Tom Winter and Dareh Gregorian
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Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Fox News town hall at the Greenville Convention Center on February 20, 2024 in Greenville, South Carolina. 
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump's attorneys are asking the judge presiding over his impending criminal trial in New York to delay the trial until after the U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling on the scope of presidential immunity.

If granted, the longshot bid would delay the trial, which is scheduled to start March 25, by several weeks, if not months.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to a hush money payment to an adult film star towards the end of his 2016 campaign. While actress Stormy Daniels received the money from Trump's attorney Michael Cohen before he became president, Trump's payments to Cohen — and the allegedly falsified business records — came after he was in the White House.

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Trump's filing contends he's immune from state prosecution based on "official acts."

His lawyers contend Judge Juan Merchan should delay the trial until after the Supreme Court issues its ruling on the scope of presidential immunity in the federal election interference case against the former president. The high court is scheduled to hear arguments in that case on April 25.