Judge Delays Donald Trump’s New York Criminal Trial

UPDATED: A judge delayed Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, in which he faces charges related to hush money payments paid to Stormy Daniels, by 30 days from today.

The trial was scheduled to start on March 25, the first of four criminal cases the former president faces.

Instead, the judge, Juan Merchan, will hold a hearing on that date and schedule a new date after ruling on Trump’s motions. His lawyers have raised objections over discovery issues.

The delay in the start of the trial was expected, after prosecutors informed the judge that they would support a delay after getting a trove of new documents in the case from the Justice Department.

The trial delay cast new doubts on what, if any, cases will come before a jury before the November election.

Trump also faces charges related to his withholding of classified documents after he left the White House. The judge has not set a new date for that trial.

The former president’s federal trial on election conspiracy charges also is on hold, as the Supreme Court takes up the issue of whether Trump had immunity.

And no date has been set in Trump’s trial in Georgia, where he and a host of other defendants face racketeering and other charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state. That case has been delayed as a judge determined whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had a conflict of interest after the disclosure of a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade. The judge, Scott McAfee, ruled that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which he did later in the day.

Trump’s charges in New York are related to payments made to Daniels in advance of the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts last year, including charges of falsifying business records. Trump plead not guilty.