Trump denies delay in hush money case as he waits for immunity

NY: Donald Trump has been denied his request to delay his upcoming hush money trial in New York until the US Supreme Court rules on the former president’s immunity defense, dealing a blow to his re-election campaign.

Thursday’s (AEDT) ruling by Judge Juan Merchán clears the way for the first of Trump’s four criminal cases to go before a jury as scheduled on April 15. Trump made the request early last month, which Merchán said was too late.

“This Court finds that the defendant had countless opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024,” nearly a year after the former president was indicted, the judge wrote.

Merchan’s ruling is the latest setback in the case for Trump, who last week received a gag order barring him from speaking publicly about jurors or prosecutors during the trial to protect his safety. The judge expanded the gag order Monday to include his own family members after Trump attacked Merchan’s daughter online over the weekend.