Judge Rejects Trump's Third Attempt to Move Hush Money Case to Federal Court

US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Friday, August 28, 2026 rejected President Trump's third attempt to move his New York hush money conviction from state to federal court, where Trump's legal team hoped to invoke broader presidential immunity following a Supreme Court immunity ruling to have the conviction tossed. Hellerstein, who has now blocked the removal bid three times, wrote that 'the grounds for a second removal cited by Defendant, Donald J. Trump, are neither new nor legally sufficient' and that Trump 'failed to show good cause and diligence.' Trump was convicted in 2024 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records tied to a $130,000 hush payment to Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels).