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Judge Juan M. Merson and former President Donald Trump.
CNN
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The New York Court of Appeals refused Donald TrumpA motion to change the venue of his upcoming hush money trial.
The former president's attorneys on Monday urged the court to postpone the trial so it could consider a change of venue, arguing that Trump would not be able to get a fair jury in New York.
But Associate Justice Lisbeth Gonzalez quickly denied the motion to end the trial after hearing arguments Monday, and there was no further argument on the motion to change venue.
Trump's lawyers filed the motion with a state appeals court a week earlier Before his trial begins.
Trump's lawyers said they would file a motion against this Cock order Judge Juan Mercantil banned witnesses and staff and family members of the court and district attorney's office from publicly discussing Trump's upcoming trial. It was not argued on Monday.
At Monday's hearing in the appeals court, Trump attorney Emil Bowe recounted a survey and media study referenced in the former president's earlier motion to Merson for a postponement based on pretrial publicity. The judge did not rule on the petition.
“This case stands alone in terms of pretrial publicity in this district,” Bowe said.
Jury selection cannot reasonably continue next week in New York County, which is Manhattan, and Trump's attorney reiterated that based on their research, the trial will be delayed while their motion to change venue is resolved.
Steven Wu, head of appeals for the Manhattan district attorney's office, argued that Trump's lawyers made the plea so close to the start of the trial that it was too late. He said the proper procedure would be for Trump to renew his request for a change of venue if it appears the jury selection process cannot include a reasonable juror from New York County.
The question is not what Trump's polls say, but whether the jury can seat 12 neutral judges and alternates.
“The defendant has assumed throughout this argument that publicity here is inherently prejudicial. The facts do not bear this out,” Wu said. Most of the articles, Wu said, summarized the allegations and “massive coverage” of the case. He argued that such a case attracts international attention.
Nothing in Trump's filings suggests that New York County is uniquely saturated with media coverage or that New Yorkers in the county are uniquely incapable of being fair, Wu argued.
“The fact that jurors know about this case is not a sign of bias,” Wu said. “Defendant comes to this argument with dirty hands because most of the advertising is his.”
Jury selection is set to begin April 15 in the Hush money trial.
This topic and story has been updated with additional improvements.
