Former President Donald Trump is once again attempting to postpone the commencement of the trial in his New York criminal case, this time by filing a lawsuit against the judge just a week before the scheduled start of jury selection.
Trump submitted a pair of sealed filings on Monday, seeking a change of venue for the case and requesting a stay of a gag order that prohibits him from making public comments about, among others, the judge's daughter, who is employed by a consulting firm aligned with the Democrats, according to a source familiar with the filings.
While the documents are not publicly available, they can be found in an online court database under the headings "change of venue" and "stay." Documents related to an appeal concerning a criminal case are initially sealed as they are reviewed for sensitive information.
This is not the first time the trial has been postponed last minute. Previously, it was delayed from March 25 to April 15 after Trump's legal team raised concerns about evidence being handed over late following their subpoena of the federal Department of Justice for case-related documents. Although Trump's lawyers pointed fingers at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for the delay, Judge Juan Merchan ultimately determined that Bragg's office was not to blame.
During a hearing on March 25, he dismissed Trump's plea to further postpone the trial.
Trump's legal team has previously contended that he would not receive a fair trial in Manhattan, referencing a survey they conducted of 2,000 New Yorkers. The survey purportedly indicated that Trump's popularity is significantly higher among residents residing outside of New York City.
Trump has also expressed frustration over the gag order in the case, which halted his frequent social media posts accusing Merchan of bias due to his daughter's profession. He has made two attempts to have Merchan recused from the case, with the initial attempt being denied in 2023. During that time, Merchan referenced a review by a state ethics panel that cleared him of any ethical conflicts.
