Judge rejects Trump bid to delay trial in DA Bragg case until SCOTUS hears immunity claims

A judge on Wednesday rejected a request from former President Donald Trump to pause proceedings in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecution of him for allegedly falsifying business records.

The trial is slated for April 15 and has already been delayed once. It was initially set to begin in March, though a judge permitted an extension to allow attorneys to review an unexpected dump of potentially relevant files.

Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday declined to delay the case until the Supreme Court hears his claims to enjoy presidential immunity from prosecution in special counsel Jack Smith's election case, Reuters reported. Oral arguments are scheduled for April 25 on that matter.

"Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024," he wrote.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a 2016 payment his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels. He further contends that the case is part of a broader political witch hunt designed to hamper his 2024 White House bid.

The trial is expected to include testimony from Cohen, Daniels, and reportedly former Trump aide Hope Hicks, who served as his 2016 campaign press secretary.

Trump, for his part, is expected to attack Cohen's credibility and previously sought to block his testimony, saying "[h]e recently committed perjury, on the stand and under oath, at a civil trial involving President Trump. If his public statements are any indication, he plans to do so again at this criminal trial."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.