Trump hush money trial to begin April 15, judge rules, denying motion to delay

The New York judge presiding over Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's hush money case against former President Trump rejected the 2024 GOP presumptive nominee's request to further delay the trial, announcing it will begin next month. 

Trump appeared in a New York City courtroom for an hours-long hearing related to Bragg’s case. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from the Manhattan district attorney's years-long investigation last year. 

Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump's motion to delay the trial and set the date for April 15. 

Former President Donald Trump appeared in a New York City courtroom for an hours-long hearing related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's hush money case on Monday, March 25, 2024. (Jane Rosenberg)

Trump's criminal trial was originally scheduled to begin Monday — March 25 — with jury selection. However, earlier this month, Merchan delayed it until mid-April in order to give the former president and his lawyers more time to go through 15,000 records of potential evidence the Justice Department shared from a previous federal investigation. 

Former President Donald Trump departs The Trump Building, located at 40 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York on Monday, March 25, 2024. Earlier today, a New York Appeals Court slashed Trump’s bond by more than half in his case regarding alleged falsifying of business records, giving him 10 days to pay $175 million. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)

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The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said much of the newly produced material is unrelated to the state's case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already produced more than 100,000 pages of records for review. Fox News Digital has learned, though, that at least 74,000 pages of records initially were sent only to Bragg’s office and not to Trump’s legal team. 

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Trump’s lawyers were seeking a 90-day delay or a dismissal of charges against him, arguing there were violations in "the discovery process," whereby both sides exchange evidence. Defense lawyers said a 30-day delay was "insufficient."

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, right, has been investigating former President Trump for alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. (Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images/Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump's lawyers have said the materials from the federal investigation are critical for his defense in the state case being brought by Bragg.

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Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Bragg alleged that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

Former president Donald Trump arrives at The Trump Building, located at 40 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York on Monday, March 25, 2024.  (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)

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The charges are related to alleged hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted not to charge Trump related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

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The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.