Judge again blocks Trump’s attempt to get his felony hush money conviction tossed
President Donald Trump’s latest effort to get his 34-count criminal conviction tossed once again failed Friday when a federal judge blocked his bid to move the case to a federal jurisdiction.
For the third time in more than two years, Judge Alvin Hellerstein of New York ruled against the president – this time, reiterating that Trump’s request was “neither new nor legally sufficient.”
“He has failed to show good cause and diligence,” Hellerstein wrote in the order.
Trump has sought to dismiss the state conviction against him ever since a New York jury found him guilty of business fraud in May 2024. The case, known as the “hush money” case, stemmed from his attempts to cover up payments sent to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
In this instance, the president asked a judge to move his case from state to federal jurisdiction, in the hopes of bringing the case to the Supreme Court, which has largely displayed a willingness to side with Trump.
Already, Hellerstein had ruled against Trump on the matter. But last year, a three-judge panel for the Second Circuit asked him to reconsider Trump’s request, specifically after the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling.
Hellerstein, a Clinton appointee, had expressed deep skepticism in Trump’s request during oral arguments in February, accusing Trump’s lawyers of taking “two bites of the apple.”
In 2024, Trump’s personal attorneys – now-Attorney General Todd Blanche and federal Judge Emil Bove – had initially asked the New York state trial judge to allow Trump to move his case to federal court, rather than a federal judge.
That was after the Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for actions related to “official acts” while in office.
“You made your choice and sought two bites of the apple; you should have gone to federal court first,” Hellerstein told Trump’s new attorneys in February.
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