Judge Denies Trump's Third Bid to Move Hush-Money Case

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied a third attempt by Donald Trump to move his New York state criminal hush-money case to federal court. The ruling prevents the president from using federal court to overturn his May 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records regarding a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.

Judge Hellerstein issued the decision after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals directed him to reconsider the case following a Supreme Court ruling that granted presidents broad immunity for official acts. However, the judge determined that paying hush money and covering up an affair are private acts that do not fall under presidential immunity, describing the arguments as specious and neither new nor legally sufficient.

Although Trump was sentenced in January 2025 to an unconditional discharge to avoid disrupting his second term, the conviction remains on his record. Trump's legal team intends to appeal this latest ruling to the 2nd Circuit, while a separate appeal of the original conviction continues within the New York state court system.