NEW YORK 鈥 on Monday lost a bid to overturn his criminal conviction stemming from hush money paid to a porn star in light of the US Supreme Court鈥檚 July ruling recognizing immunity from prosecution for a president鈥檚 official acts.
Justice Juan Merchan鈥檚 denial of Mr. Trump鈥檚 motion to dismiss the New York state case forecloses one avenue for the Republican president-elect to enter the White House on Jan. 20 for his second four-year term without the stain of a criminal conviction.
Mr. Trump鈥檚 lawyers are separately trying to have the verdict overturned on separate grounds in the wake of his defeat of Democratic Vice-President Kamala D. Harris in the Nov. 5 election.
Mr. Merchan has not yet ruled on that motion. In Monday鈥檚 41-page decision, Mr. Merchan sided with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg鈥檚 office, which brought the case.
The prosecutors argued their case dealt with Mr. Trump鈥檚 personal conduct, not his official acts as president.
The judge said Mr. Trump鈥檚 prosecution for 鈥渄ecidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the executive branch.鈥
In a statement, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung called Mr. Merchan鈥檚 decision 鈥渁 direct violation of the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision on immunity.鈥
The case stemmed from a $130,000 payment that Mr. Trump鈥檚 former lawyer made to adult film actor .
The payment was for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she has said she had a decade earlier with Mr. Trump, who denies it.
A Manhattan jury in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up the payment. It was the first time a US president 鈥 former or sitting 鈥 had been convicted of or charged with a criminal offense. 鈥 Reuters
