Federal Judge Denies Trump's Effort to Move Hush Money Case to Federal Court

A federal judge has once again rejected President Donald Trump's bid to have his New York state criminal hush money case moved to federal court, a decision that could potentially block his appeal to the Supreme Court. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled on Friday that Trump's arguments for a change of venue were "neither new nor legally sufficient," maintaining his previous stance that the case involves private conduct and has no relation to his federal office.

The case in question stems from Trump's 2024 criminal conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Trump's defense team has been fighting to have the case moved to federal court, arguing that it should be governed by federal preemption and presidential immunity.

Judge Hellerstein heard arguments from both Trump's legal team and Manhattan prosecutors at a hearing in February, but he did not issue a ruling until now. The judge's latest ruling comes after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in July 2024, stating that presidents are protected from criminal prosecution for official acts. This decision prompted the judge to reconsider his previous stance on the case.

In his ruling, Hellerstein emphasized that Trump's acts as charged in the state's case were private and unrelated to his position as the President of the United States. "The People's prosecution arises from President Trump's private conduct surrounding the reimbursement of hush money payments to an adult film star," Hellerstein wrote. "That conduct, and the challenged evidence, bears no substantive relation to his position in federal office."

Trump's legal team has argued that the Manhattan District Attorney's office has been conducting a "witch hunt" against the former president and that the case should be moved to federal court. They also contend that the evidence involving White House staffers' actions at the hush money trial was improperly introduced and should be excluded.

Despite the guilty finding, Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, meaning he faced no penalties and the conviction was essentially in name only. However, this conviction made Trump the first president in U.S. history to be convicted of a felony.

Months after his conviction, Trump's lawyers tried again to have the case moved to federal court, following the Supreme Court's immunity decision. They argue that Trump cannot be prosecuted in connection to the hush money scheme because he is protected by presidential immunity – he reimbursed his former personal attorney Michael Cohen while in office for a cover-up scheme Cohen orchestrated during the 2016 election.

In his latest ruling, Hellerstein wrote, "There is no way that discussions regarding hush money payments to cover up the President's relations with Stormy Daniels could be an official act. An affair, or a cover-up of an affair, is not within the "'outer perimeter' of the President's official responsibilities."

Trump's lawyers have appealed the conviction and are still pursuing their efforts to have the case moved to federal court. They argue that the Supreme Court's historic decision on immunity, along with other established legal precedent, mandates that the Manhattan DA's case be removed to federal court and immediately overturned and dismissed.

Despite the judge's ruling, Trump's legal team is not giving up. A spokesman for Trump's legal team said in a statement, "The Supreme Court's historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that the Witch Hunt perpetrated by the Manhattan DA be removed to federal court, and immediately overturned and dismissed."

As the case continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Trump will succeed in having his hush money case moved to federal court or whether he will be able to appeal the conviction to the Supreme Court.