The Daily Fuckup

A New York judge on Friday, April 12, rejected Donald Trump’s request to delay his hush-money trial over claims of prejudicial pretrial publicity, leaving the case set for jury selection on April 15.

The ruling came two days after a separate appellate judge turned down another attempt to push back the trial. Together, the decisions kept the schedule intact for the first criminal trial of a former president.

In the April 12 order, Justice Juan M. Merchan said the defense had not shown that an adjournment was warranted and pointed instead to jury selection as the proper way to screen for bias. He also noted that Trump’s own public statements had contributed to the attention surrounding the case.

The case concerns allegations that Trump falsified business records tied to payments made during the 2016 campaign. Trump has denied wrongdoing and says the prosecution is politically motivated.

With both delay requests denied, the court was still set to begin jury selection on April 15 while Trump remained on the campaign trail.