After accusing the judge and his law clerk of being politically biased, Donald Trump filed a motion for a mistrial in state Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud lawsuit against him. However, the judge in New York denied his motion on Friday, November 18, 2023.
According to Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York state court in Manhattan he could not “in good conscience” let Trump pursue a mistrial request that was “utterly without merit.”
James has charged that in order to deceive banks and insurers, Trump, his company, his adult sons, and other defendants manipulated financial statements, asset values, and Trump’s net worth.
Among other remedies, she wants to see Trump barred from the real estate industry in New York State and fined $250 million. Early October saw the start of the trial.
Given Engoron’s prior conclusions that Trump’s financial statements were false and the judge’s defense of his law clerk, Trump’s request for a mistrial had been a long shot.
“As expected, today the court refused to take responsibility for its failure to preside over this case in an impartial and unbiased manner,” Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, said in a statement. “We, however, remain undeterred and will continue to fight for our clients’ right to a fair trial.”
In the upcoming November election, Trump is the front-runner for opposing Democratic President Joe Biden for the Republican presidential nomination.
Democrat Engoron’s decisions in the case and his editing of a high school alumni newsletter that included links to articles about the case had been contested by his attorneys.
Additionally, they criticized Allison Greenfield, Engoron’s clerk, for making political donations, saying they were immoral.
Nonetheless, the judge declared that he has overseen the case for more than three years, “fairly, impartially, and professionally,” and that he plans to continue doing so until it is resolved.
“I stand by each and every ruling, and they speak for themselves,” Engoron wrote.
Greenfield has been running for a judgeship; the judge supported her as well, stating that her donations were allowed by state law and ethical standards.
He also denied that Greenfield was exerting improper influence, saying his rulings “are mine, and mine alone,” and that there was “absolutely no ‘co-judging’ at play.”
Due to the constant attacks from Trump and his legal team on Engoron and Greenfield, Engoron put in place gag orders that forbade them from discussing his employees. Trump has been fined $15,000 by Engoron for twice disobeying his orders.
On Thursday, a state appeals court judge placed the gag orders on temporary hold while a five-judge appellate panel reviewed them.
Greenfield was criticized by Trump shortly afterward, describing her as “politically biased and out of control” on his Truth social media platform.
Four unrelated federal and state criminal indictments against the former president are also pending; two of them stem from his attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election results. In those instances, he entered a not-guilty plea.
Ref: Reuters
