US Judge Alvin Hellerstein Denies Donald Trump's Third Bid to Shift Hush-Money Case to Federal Court

Donald Trump has suffered another legal setback as a US judge rejected his latest attempt to transfer his criminal hush-money case from state to federal court in hopes of having his felony conviction dropped.

On Friday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein declined the petition for a third time, ruling that the arguments presented by Donald Trump were neither new nor legally sufficient. Donald Trump became the first US president to be convicted of a crime in 2024, when a New York City jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors argued that Donald Trump attempted to conceal hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels to avoid negative attention during his 2016 presidential bid.

Donald Trump maintained that his conviction should be tossed due to a 2024 Supreme Court decision expanding presidential immunity, but Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected that reasoning once again. "Paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity," Judge Alvin Hellerstein wrote.

The legal team for Donald Trump announced plans to appeal, denouncing the judgement as baseless and lawless. The case centers on a $130,000 payment Donald Trump allegedly made through Michael Cohen to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels after she claimed an affair with the Republican leader. Donald Trump has denied any sexual liaison with Stormy Daniels.

The New York indictment was one of four Donald Trump faced in 2023 between his two terms as president. While the felony convictions made Donald Trump eligible for incarceration or a fine, Judge Juan Merchan ultimately sentenced the Republican leader to an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025.