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District Judge Alvin Hellerstein Denies President Trump's Request to Move Hush Money Case to Federal Court

District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected President Trump's request to move his New York state criminal hush money case to federal court on Friday. The ruling maintains that the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which led to President Trump to become the first president convicted of a felony, were private acts rather than official duties. Judge Hellerstein noted that thes actions were unrelated to his position in federal office, stating that the conduct surrounding the reimbursement of payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels was a private matter. The administration announced that the ruling was a blow to the president's efforts to overturn his conviction, as the federal track would have offered a faster route to the Supreme Court. President Trump's legal team immediately appealed the decision, characterizing the state prosecution as a "witch hunt." The judge ruled that the delay in filing for removal was a strategic choice by the president's team, and that the fact that the other side viewed it as a poor decision later was not sufficient to establish cause for the change.

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