A panel of New York State appellate judges denied Donald Trump’s appeal to move his criminal trial out of Manhattan to another county. The decision came as summations were scheduled to begin in the seventh week of the trial, which has been ongoing for six weeks. Trump’s lawyers first filed the appeal on the last day of jury selection, and after several weeks, the appeal was denied with no further explanation. This denial, along with another motion denied on the same day, closes the loop on Trump’s attempts to delay the trial with strategic appellate actions.
The denials by the appeals court came after a flurry of emergency requests by Trump’s legal team to delay the trial, all of which were denied prior to the trial beginning. Both the prosecution and defense have rested their cases in the Manhattan criminal trial, and closing arguments are set to commence following the Memorial Day weekend break. Despite efforts by Trump to stop the trial pending a ruling on the change of venue motion, these attempts were unsuccessful, leading to the denial of the motion by the appeals court.
Trump’s legal team had initially requested a stay over the change of venue motion, which was denied during an emergency hearing held on the same day the jury panel was finalized. Subsequent appeals by Trump’s lawyers challenging pretrial rulings by Judge Juan Merchan were also denied by a different panel of judges on Thursday. These rulings found that Trump’s legal arguments failed to demonstrate that Merchan overstepped in his pretrial rulings, indicating that these issues can be raised in a direct appeal after the trial concludes.
Despite Trump’s continued efforts to delay or change the venue of the trial, the appellate courts have consistently denied these requests, setting the stage for closing arguments to begin after six weeks of proceedings. The denial of Trump’s appeal to move the trial to another county, along with other motions, marks the end of a series of strategic appellate actions aimed at delaying the trial. With both the prosecution and defense having rested their cases, the jury will soon hear closing arguments in the Manhattan criminal trial.
The process of jury selection was subject to debate during the trial, with Trump’s attorney arguing that the quick seating of a jury after many potential jurors were dismissed for bias was “untenable.” In response, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office defended the selection process, stating that the culling of prospective jurors demonstrated that jury selection had been successful. Despite challenges to the jury selection process and various pretrial rulings, Trump’s legal team has faced repeated denials from the appellate courts, indicating that these issues can be addressed in a direct appeal following a final judgment in the trial.
Overall, the denial of Trump’s various motions by the appellate courts highlights the challenges faced by his legal team in attempting to delay or change the venue of the criminal trial. With closing arguments scheduled to begin following the Memorial Day weekend break, the trial is nearing its conclusion after six weeks of proceedings. Despite Trump’s efforts to challenge pretrial rulings and the jury selection process, the appellate courts have consistently upheld the decisions made by the trial court, paving the way for the jury to determine the outcome of the case.
