Judge Sets Trial Date in Trump’s Manhattan Criminal Case
Ruling that the case against Donald J. Trump can proceed, Justice Juan M. Merchan said he planned to begin the trial on March 25.
The judge, Juan M. Merchan, announced the decision at a hearing in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as Mr. Trump looked on from the defense table. The former president’s lawyers objected to the judge’s decision for jury selection to begin on March 25, noting that the six-week trial would conflict with Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign.
One of the former president’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, called the schedule “unfathomable,” arguing that, “We are in the middle of primary season,” and claiming that the trial would overlap with dozens of Republican primaries and caucuses.
Starting in 2019, Trump's legal team used multiple maneuvers to hinder, block or delay the trial, including arguing unsuccessfully before the Supreme Court in two separate occasions.
