Trump’s First Criminal Trial Set for March 25 by Judge

A New York judge has confirmed that Donald Trump is to stand trial in late March over accusations of violating election laws, linked to concealed hush money payments allegedly made to increase his chances during the 2016 election.

Jury selection set for March 25 by Judge Juan Merchan paves the way for the first criminal trial of a former U.S. President in history. If convicted, Trump could face a maximum sentence of four years in jail.

Motions from Trump’s defense team for the case to be dismissed, on claims of political motivation and shaky legal grounds, were rejected by Merchan. He also denied attempts to delay the case due to Trump’s campaign schedule and other ongoing criminal charges.

The case led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg revolves around Trump’s attempts to hide a sex scandal before the 2016 election. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments to actress Stormy Daniels, meant to prevent her from publicly discussing a sexual encounter. Bragg asserts that these charges should escalate to felonies from misdemeanors, as they concealed a federal crime: election interference.

Bragg clarified that “It’s about conspiring to corrupt a presidential election and then lying in New York business records to cover it,” during a WNYC interview. Bragg’s team anticipated a move to jury selection on March 25, suggesting the trial could last for six weeks, with a possible verdict in May.

Trump faces charges in four separate trials; he is lobbying for all of them to be postponed beyond November’s election. While the New York case progresses, the other three cases, two federal and one in Georgia, have encountered delays and potential hurdles.

Trump’s legal team emphasized that initiating jury selection for the New York case in late March would coincide with numerous Republican primary contests that could solidify his bid for the party’s Presidential nomination.

The former President has often attended and given press conferences at court proceedings, using these opportunities to amplify his campaign messages and his claim that all charges he’s facing are politically driven.

According to the Associated Press, Trump stated in the courthouse hallway post-hearing that he wants trials delayed to accommodate his campaign travels.

As Trump attended the New York hearing, a judge in Atlanta considered whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, overseeing the case charging Trump with trying to overturn Georgia’s election results, should be removed due to allegations of an inappropriate personal relationship with a case prosecutor.

Trump also faces federal charges for inciting a violent mob to overturn Joe Biden’s electoral victory on Jan. 6, 2021. That case, led by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, was set for trial on March 4 but has been delayed as Trump pushes for Supreme Court backing on his immunity claim as a former President.