A federal judge has once again denied Donald Trump’s effort to dismiss his New York hush money conviction, rejecting his attempt to move the state case to federal court and have it thrown out based on presidential immunity.
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Friday reiterated his earlier findings, stating that the arguments Trump presented for renewing his request were “neither new nor legally sufficient.” He added that Trump “has failed to show good cause and diligence.”
This marks the third time Hellerstein has ruled against Trump’s bid to have the U.S. District Court in Manhattan take control of the case from the New York court where he was tried and convicted.
Trump’s legal team has indicated plans to appeal the ruling, with a spokesperson calling Hellerstein’s decision “baseless and lawless.” A statement issued on behalf of the legal team asserted that the Supreme Court's immunity decision, along with federal and New York State Constitutions and other legal precedents, require the case to be moved to federal court and dismissed.
The guilty verdict, reached in May 2024, made Trump the first former and current U.S. president to be convicted of a felony. He is also pursuing a separate challenge to his conviction through the state court appellate process.
Hellerstein's decision follows an order from a federal appeals court last year that directed him to reconsider his previous denial of Trump's motion. During oral arguments in February, Hellerstein had criticized Trump's legal strategies as repetitive.
New York prosecutors have not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the judge's latest ruling.