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Judge declines to delay Trump’s NY hush money trial after Trump complains of pretrial publicity

The judge in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal case has turned down the former president's request to postpone his trial because of publicity about the case

Via AP news wire
Friday 12 April 2024 22:45 BST
Trump Hush Money Jury Selection
Trump Hush Money Jury Selection (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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The judge in Donald Trump's hush money criminal case on Friday turned down the former president’s request to postpone his trial because of publicity about the case.

It's the latest in a string of delay denials that Trump has gotten from various courts this week as he fights to stave off the trial's start Monday with jury selection.

Among other things, Trump's lawyers had argued that the jury pool was deluged with what the defense saw as “exceptionally prejudicial” news coverage of the case. The defense argued that was a reason to hold off the case indefinitely.

Judge Juan M. Merchan said that idea was “not tenable.”

Trump “appears to take the position that his situation and this case are unique and that the pre-trial publicity will never subside. However, this view does not align with reality,” the judge wrote.

He said questioning of prospective jurors would address any concerns about their ability to be fair and impartial.

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