Trump's Legal Maneuvers in Criminal Case Face Hurdles

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, known for his care and cautiousness in presiding over litigation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, was selected to decide whether Donald Trump’s criminal case proceeds in state or federal court. Trump’s lawyers petitioned Thursday to have a federal court seize control of his criminal case, arguing that the case “involves important federal questions” and shouldn’t be tried in the state court where his historic indictment was brought. Trump, a Republican, was indicted in March and pleaded not guilty at an April 4 state court arraignment to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments and subsequent reimbursements made during the 2016 campaign and early in his presidency to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.