Judge rejects Trump bid to make NY case federal

What happened

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected Donald Trump's long-shot motion to move his New York criminal case to federal court. Trump was convicted on 34 fraud counts in May for paying hush money to a porn actress.

Who said what

Hours after Trump's lawyers submitted their petition, Hellerstein said they hadn't met the legal bar to take the case out of state court. Nothing in the Supreme Court's July ruling that Trump has broad immunity for official acts as president "affects my previous conclusion that the hush money payments were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority," Hellerstein wrote. He also said Trump's allegations of "bias, conflicts of interest and appearances of impropriety" in the state trial must be adjudicated in state court.

Hellerstein's decision is a blow to Trump's "persistent efforts to escape the consequences" of the Manhattan jury's verdict, The New York Times said. The New York prosecution is the only one of four felony cases Trump has not successfully delayed or halted.

What next?

New York Justice Juan Merchan has said he will rule by Sept. 16 on Trump's bids to throw out the conviction and delay sentencing until after the election. If Trump is sentenced on Sept. 18, as scheduled, any punishment "could be put on hold while Trump appeals," Politico said.

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