Posted on 12/16/2024 11:56:15 PM PST by where's_the_Outrage?
The New York judge in President-elect Donald Trump's criminal hush money case ruled Monday that the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision does not apply to that case.
Trump had sought to dismiss his criminal indictment and vacate the jury verdict on the grounds that prosecutors, during the trial last May, introduced evidence relating to Trump's official acts as president, after the Supreme Court later ruled in July that Trump is entitled to presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts undertaken while in office......
In his ruling Monday, Merchan found that there was "overwhelming evidence of guilt" that led the jury to convict Trump at trial.
Trump's attorneys, arguing for immunity, had emphasized the importance of former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks' testimony, including her recounting of interactions with Trump in 2018 when reporting about the alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels broke, to demonstrate Trump's knowledge of the payment and his preference that the story came out after the election......
But Merchan on Monday rejected Trump's argument that the testimony of Hicks, Trump's Twitter posts about Cohen, and other evidence, constitute official acts.
"Just as the title of Communications Director does not bestow absolute immunity to any and all communications with Ms. Hicks, neither does mere reference to the Justice Department convert a Tweet to an official act," Merchan wrote in his ruling.
"It is therefore logical and reasonable to conclude that if the act of falsifying records to cover up the payments so that the public would not be made aware is decidedly an unofficial act, so too should the communications to further that same cover-up be unofficial," the judge wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Merchan’s daughter made the judge highly conflicted from the outset. The case is a disaster, a complete abomination from a judicial impartiality standpoint alone. It will never stand. If it does, well, < redacted>.
Merchan is digging pretty deep to discover a way to make his case ‘valid’. It would be a real shame if his hole were to collapse in on him.
These judges need to be brought up on charges of legal malfeasance, disbarred, found guilty, and serve time for their crimes against the people.
Not to worry, Joe Biden will pardon Donald Trump!...
I certainly hope the new DOJ goes after these criminals, big time. Anyone associated with this should be fired, all assets confiscated, and forever barred from ever holding any position like they have had, running them out of town after tarring and feathering them.
He is. PURE EVIL!
Merchan should be impeached for impersonating a judge, when in fact he is an activist.
Not a lawyer but this ruling, because it deals with a matter of a SCOTUS case, immediately makes this a federal matter and allows Trump’s legal team to move his appeal out of NY state courts?
Yep the state doe snot get to exclusively determine that an issue is not a federal issue when the US Sup Court has a ruling related to the issue.
If this where true then any state could avoid any Fed Ruling via a state judge determining it is just not a fed issue, this usurps the Feb Supremacy clause, only the Feds get to determine what is a fed issue.
That ridiculous pos Democrat operative judge?
The whole case and the penalty was absurd.
Didn’t the appellate court already sound like they felt this case was an abuse?
This “judge” Merchant is a real creep.
What the heck would a Colombian jughead refugee know about the American justice system? Deport his mangy Colombian butt.
NYC stock analysts often post expected stock values.
A stock currently fetching $110/share might be worth $125/share.
Thousands of New Yorkers make a very good living seeking and often making profits off stock market pricing errors.
Trump simply is an expert in a different type of market.
But recent events in NYC have that schnorrer puckered up tight.
No. State Courts resolve Federal Constitutional issues in state criminal prosecutions every day. Virtually every motion to suppress evidence is based on the 4th amendment as well as state constitutional provisions.
It appears that Merchan’s life is about to turn very miserable.
Assuming Trump can’t pardon himself because it’s a NY state matter?
Legal experts help me please.
If so - seems Trump can make it very difficult for this guy as well as the whole state and NY city in particular starting on Jan. 20.
While he may have no immunity, he deserves a fair trial and he deserves to be treated like any other defended would be... And any other defendant would not have been taken to court. This is a malicious and political prosecution, brought for political purposes to stymie the election of Presidential candidate.
In his ruling Monday, Merchan proved that there was “overwhelming evidence of guilt” in the bias of his rulings and a mistrial should be granted.
It’s called black robed terrorism.
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