Judge Rejects Trump’s Bid to Dismiss Hush Money Conviction, Citing Supreme Court Ruling Limits
Historic Conviction Holds as Judge Declares: "Overwhelming Evidence of Guilt" Trumps Immunity Claims
In a decisive ruling, New York Judge Juan M. Merchan denied Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his hush money conviction, despite Trump’s legal team citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision. Merchan ruled that the evidence presented at trial pertained to Trump’s personal conduct, not official presidential acts, thereby falling outside immunity protections. This decision blocks a key effort by Trump’s attorneys to derail the case ahead of his return to the presidency on January 20, 2025.
The conviction stems from a May 2024 jury verdict finding Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump's lawyers argued that evidence—such as financial disclosures and social media posts made while in office—should have been excluded under presidential immunity. However, Judge Merchan firmly disagreed, stating, “Even if some evidence related to official conduct, such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.”
While Trump’s team continues to seek dismissal, Merchan’s ruling aligns with prior federal findings that the hush money case is rooted in Trump’s private life, not his duties as president. Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, now faces a complex legal road ahead as prosecutors explore options to preserve the conviction. Despite the unresolved sentencing, Trump remains the first former president convicted of a felony and poised to assume office once again.
Editor: This piece was originally published in the My Daily Grind News.