Appeals Court Allows Trump To Revive Effort to Overturn ‘Hush Money’ Conviction
President Donald Trump scored another major legal win Thursday as a federal appeals court cleared the way for him to challenge his New York “hush money” conviction — a case his team has long blasted as part of the Democrats’ weaponized lawfare campaign.
In a ruling that could shake the foundation of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s politically charged prosecution, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals said it “cannot be confident” the lower court properly considered Trump’s right to move the case to federal court.
“The court bypassed what we consider to be important issues bearing on the ultimate issue of good cause,” the panel wrote, remanding the matter to the district court for further review.
The three-judge panel — all appointees of Barack Obama and Joe Biden — nonetheless acknowledged that key questions surrounding jurisdiction and presidential immunity remain unresolved in light of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling affirming immunity for official acts of a sitting president.
Trump’s legal team hailed the development as a “massive victory” in his ongoing battle against what they call a partisan witch hunt.
“President Trump continues to win in his fight against Radical Democrat Lawfare,” his spokesperson said. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that the Witch Hunt perpetrated by the Manhattan DA be immediately overturned and dismissed.”
“President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focuses on his singular mission to Make America Great Again.”
Trump was convicted last year on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election — a case widely condemned by conservatives as a politically motivated stunt meant to derail his presidential comeback.
Meanwhile, New York’s Top Democrat Prosecutor Is on the Hot Seat
While Trump celebrates another victory in court, New York Attorney General Letitia James — one of his loudest political foes — finds herself in mounting legal trouble of her own.
In her federal mortgage fraud case, Judge Walker rejected a motion from James’ defense seeking to force prosecutors to log all communications with the media. The decision followed explosive allegations that U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan exchanged encrypted Signal messages with a Lawfare reporter — communications that automatically deleted after eight hours.
Though Walker called the conduct “unusual,” he stopped short of calling it improper, ordering prosecutors only to preserve all records related to the case.
James, who pleaded not guilty to charges of bank fraud and making false statements, allegedly lied on loan documents to secure better mortgage terms on a Virginia property that she falsely claimed was a second home — when in fact it was being rented by her grandniece.
Prosecutors say James saved nearly $19,000 through the alleged deception. If convicted, she faces up to 60 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
For a woman who built her political career on attacking Donald Trump, the irony could not be sharper. As Trump’s legal fortunes rise, James’ credibility — and freedom — are both on the line.