U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to change the jurisdiction of the ‘Stormy Daniels hush money case,’ in which he was convicted in state court, to a federal court, but the court rejected the request, resulting in failure, AP and others reported on August 28.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York stated in the decision that he had once again denied permission for Trump to submit a second notice of transfer request. Trump’s legal team had previously filed a request to transfer the ‘Stormy Daniels hush money case,’ in which a New York state court jury reached a guilty verdict, to a federal court.
Trump was indicted on charges including providing $130,000 (approximately 180 million Korean won) to Daniels, a porn actress, as hush money for a sexual relationship shortly before the 2024 election, and falsely recording this in company accounting books. He was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in court.
Following this, Trump’s legal team requested the transfer of the case, reasoning that a federal court trial could be advantageous in applying presidential immunity. However, Judge Hellerstein determined that transferring the case to a federal court was impossible at this stage, as a guilty verdict, first-instance sentencing, and the filing of an appeal against the judgment had already occurred.
Judge Hellerstein had previously denied Trump’s request for case transfer in July 2023. However, after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded the denial in November 2024, he reconsidered a similar request. At the time, the 2nd Circuit required an examination of whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s July 2024 precedent on presidential immunity could be applied, and whether there were valid reasons for Trump’s legal team to have filed the notice of transfer request beyond the stipulated deadline, among other requirements.
Judge Hellerstein explained, “This case is purely personal, involving Trump’s use of secret funds to silence Daniels,” and stated, “It has no connection to Trump’s official duties.”
Trump’s legal team immediately appealed Judge Hellerstein’s denial. A source from Trump’s legal team argued, “In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling on immunity and the federal Constitution, the Manhattan District Attorney’s witch hunt should be transferred to a federal court and dismissed.”
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