Federal Judge Questions Trump Bid to Shift Case

A federal judge in New York sharply questioned former President Donald Trump's legal team on Wednesday during arguments over moving his state criminal conviction to federal court, where it could be challenged on presidential immunity grounds.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, presiding over the hearing in Manhattan, accused Trump's attorneys of strategic delays that complicated their bid. The judge remarked that the team had chosen to exhaust state court appeals first, calling it an unnecessary step. "That is a decision on your part," Hellerstein said, according to court observers. "You didn't have to do that. You could have come right to the federal court. Just by filing a notice of removal, there would be no sentencing." He added that the approach amounted to seeking "two bites at the apple," suggesting the lawyers had missed an earlier opportunity to shift jurisdiction.

The case stems from Trump's May 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office alleged the falsifications concealed a $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, arranged through Trump's then-personal lawyer...