US President Donald Trump has been denied for the third time his request to move his criminal case related to the payment of hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels to federal court, CNN reports. Consideration of the case in another jurisdiction, as noted, could simplify the procedure for challenging the guilty verdict handed down to the president in 2024.
In May 2024, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. It was about paying $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, shortly before the presidential election.
According to investigators, the payments were illegally disguised as transfers to lawyer Michael Cohen and were intended to prevent Daniels from disclosing information about a sexual encounter with Trump that occurred in 2006 before the election. The politician himself denies the accusations and denies any relationship with Daniels.
The verdict, without any sanctions, came in January 2025, days before Trump returned to the White House. The decision not to punish him was due to his re-election as head of state.
U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein for the Southern District of New York said in a ruling on Friday that Trump's lawyers' arguments for transferring the case to federal court were invalid.
“The indictment relates to President Trump's private conduct related to hush payments to an adult film star. These actions, like the disputed evidence, have no significant connection with his position,” Hellerstein said.
Hellerstein previously denied two similar motions, saying, in particular, that the US Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity does not apply to this case because Trump's actions were personal in nature and not related to the performance of his official duties. In Friday's decision, he stressed that he sees no new arguments in favor of Trump's position.
“The grounds that Donald Trump refers to in seeking to reschedule the case contain nothing new and have no legal force. He also failed to establish that his reasons were valid and that he acted with due care,” the judge ruled.
Trump's lawyers tried to move his case to federal court for the first time since he was indicted. They argued that federal government employees, including former presidents, have a right to trial in federal court on charges arising out of “acts committed while in office.” Part of Trump's criminal case involved checks he signed during his first term as president.
After the verdict in May 2024, Trump's representatives tried again. They stated that the prosecution of the politician violates his constitutional rights and also contradicts the US Supreme Court decision of July 1, 2024 on presidential immunity from prosecution for actions committed in office.
Trump's lawyers said they intend to appeal the new decision by Hellerstein, 92, who was appointed under President Bill Clinton. At the same time, the appeal hearing of the conviction itself continues in the courts of New York.
As CNN notes, the case could go to the state Court of Appeal and then to the US Supreme Court if Trump fails to get the verdict overturned in lower courts.
