A US federal judge again rejected Donald Trump's attempt to overturn his bribery conviction, denying the request to transfer the case to a federal court and dismiss it based on presidential immunity. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein reiterated his previous ruling against Trump, stating that the case must proceed.
The US president was convicted in May 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was intended to silence Daniels' allegation of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier, which could have harmed his 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump unsuccessfully attempted to transfer the case to a federal court and argued that he should benefit from presidential immunity, since the acts in question were allegedly performed in the exercise of his presidential duties. However, Hellerstein had already rejected these same arguments previously.
Trump's defense has announced its intention to appeal this decision, maintaining the legal battle that has been ongoing since the historic conviction of the former US president.
