legal
Via Anna Bower:
"Defendant's motion is nothing more than his latest effort to delay the forthcoming trial," DA Bragg writes of #Trump’s second effort to recuse Justice Merchan.
Read the filing here: https://documentcloud.org/documents/24536197-trump-mem-opp-recusal-filed
Tyler McBrien:
JUST IN: DA Bragg files its opposition to Trump's second motion to recuse Justice Merchan in the NY hush money case, calling it a "dilatory tactic" and urging the Court to deny #legal
Attorneys for #Trump were in NY appeals court Monday in 11th-hour bid to try to delay his impending criminal trial on charges he falsified business records related to hush $ payments/interference.
Lawyers filed papers at the state Appellate Division arguing the trial should be pushed back while Trump challenges a partial gag order against him and argues the setting of the trial in Manhattan would be unfair, a source with direct knowledge of the action #legal
Via Andrew Weissmann: 1/...
"And the notion that predicted defiance of the Commander- in-Chief ’s orders is the backstop against criminal behavior by a President is not what the Constitution provides for."
Kyle Cheney:
JUST IN: Long list of retired generals has sided with #JackSmith on the argument of presidential immunity, filing a brief with #SCOTUS
#legal #Trump
https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/DocketFiles/html/Public/23-939.html
đź‘€Via Anna Bower: 1/...
The jury questionnaire for #Trump’s upcoming hush money/interference trial in New York is now public.
It includes questions about media consumed by prospective jurors and whether jurors have ever supported groups like the QAnon movement or Proud Boys. #legal
https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/press/PDFs/Letter-re-jury-selection-4-8-24.pdf
“Allen #Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the #Trump Org, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to two counts of perjury last month in his testimony during Trump’s civil fraud trial.
Weisselberg is expected to be sentenced to 5 months in jail under a recommendation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.” #legal
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/ex-trump-cfo-allen-weisselberg-sentenced-perjury-trump-civil-fraud-tri-rcna147144
🤦🏻‍♀️🙄 “Exceeded his authority..,”
“Lawyers for #Trump have filed another appeal in the hush money/interference case to challenge the trial’s judge’s order denying him from arguing he has presidential immunity.
Trump’s attorneys also challenging Judge Juan Merchan’s “refusal” to recuse himself from the trial and a previous ruling related to how dockets are made publicly.” #legal
🧵 by Roger Parloff. 1/...
Judge #Cannon retracted her 2/6 order that wd have unsealed identities of ~2 dozen potential govt witnesses or FBI agents. She thereby likely averted having #JackSmith take her to 11th Cir over the issue
Her 24-pg order is defensive, blaming Jack for not having laid out his argumt more clearly earlier. With some basis tho. Jack’s team isn’t flawless. Its failure to meaningfully respond to #Trump’s & Press Coalition’s argumts for unsealing in Jan was baffling #legal
⏳ Via Tamar Hallerman:
#Trump on Wednesday asked a judge to dismiss two more felony counts against him in the Fulton County election interference case, arguing the alleged criminal conduct has to do with federal, not state, law #Georgia #TrumpIndictment #legal
Via Klasfeld (in part):
#Trump's attorneys are currently arguing AGAIN to delay his New York criminal trial at an appellate court — this time, on the immunity and other issues.
By the DA's count, that's more than 10 attempts to adjourn his trial.
The DA's office in a pointed introduction to a filing dated April 1:
"The Court should deny defendant's eighth request to adjourn the start of this trial..."
That was at least three stay requests ago.
#legal
Via Scott MacFarlane: 🧵 1/...
Some tense moments just now at sentencing of #Jan6 defendant Antony Vo
Defense tried to get sentencing delayed & took issue with Feds & court’s handling of plea agreement rejected before trial
But defense & delay were firmly rejected by the judge… It’s Judge Tanya Chutkan #legal
NEW #TrumpTrial 🧵STARTS HERE
I CANNOT READ REPLIES. "NFL" (NotForLaffy) appreciated
#legal #Trump
1/...McBrien:
At 2:35 p.m. we have audio again, but still no video, and we hear Merchan say "Thank you, please be seated."
Merchan welcomes the jurors and starts by apologizing for how chilly it is in the courtroom.
Video is back on, and both sides are seated in the same seats as this morning
Merchan proceeds to read the boilerplate instructions for voir dire. Reminder: 30 mins per side
“#Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor to Face Inquiry for Role as Fake #Trump Elector
#FaniWillis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., had been disqualified from pursuing the case against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, but another prosecutor said he would now take it over.” #legal
#Trump arrived Monday at a New York court for the start of jury selection in his hush money/election interference trial, marking a singular moment in U.S. history.
It’s the first criminal trial of any former U.S. commander-in-chief and the first of Trump’s four indictments to go to trial. #legal
https://apnews.com/article/8da8759352478be8effd3d5734aae35e
🧵NEW THREAD STARTING HERE. 1/…
We start with a big ol’ #WompWomp
Via Klasfeld:
Breaking
Trump LOSES his renewed motion to recuse Justice Merchan from presiding over his New York criminal trial.
The judge quickly DENIES Trump's motion from the bench before the beginning of jury selection.
👀 “Corcoran’s quiet exit from #Trump’s orbit could pose a significant issue for the former president, with the potential for prosecutors to call him as a key witness if the case goes to trial. He also was one of the last attorneys on Trump’s defense team to have handled his federal investigations from the beginning, as his #legal peril skyrocketed.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/11/politics/evan-corcoran-trump-legal?cid=ios_app
Via Kyle Griffin:
Judge Merchan allows following exhibits into evidence: #TrumpTrial #legal
The prosecution discussed the admissibility of a summer 2015 meeting at Trump Tower betw Michael Cohen & then-Nat Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
Prosecutors asked to admit articles w pro-Trump headlines & neg headlines about GOP primary opponents that were shown to Trump before publication.
The prosecution argued the "whole point of the meeting" was for the Enquirer to distort what info the public.
đź‘€Aaaand we're off!
Via Lisa Rubin:
NEW: While arguing for the admission of tweets and social media posts evocative of #Trump’s pressure campaign on witnesses, the DA’s office drops this: “Shortly, we will be seeking an order to show cause why Defendant should not be held in contempt” for violating the #GagOrder. #TrumpTrial #legal
🧵NEW THREAD for #TrumpTrial #legal #Trump here. 1/...
Break is over in courtroom. I've caught you up on most everything in previous toots, so go to my feed for details.
Press:
Prosecutor: Michael Cohen accepted responsibility. So we should be allowed to bring that out on direct and that he lied on Defendant's behest. That changed, when Michael Cohen decided to accept responsibility. So evidence about the plea is essential
👉🏼Via Ryan Goodman:
NYT scoop: "David Pecker...is set to go first" as prosecution witness. ⬇️
Pecker could be key witness - in ways more devastating than Michael Cohen.
This also indicates DA is foregrounding unlawful election influence for jurors.