NEW YORK — U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to transfer his Manhattan criminal hush-money case into federal court, shutting down his legal attempt to overturn his conviction on presidential immunity grounds.

The ruling marks the third time Judge Hellerstein has denied Trump’s efforts to move the state case into federal jurisdiction.

Key Takeaways from the Ruling

• No Presidential Immunity: Judge Hellerstein ruled that the actions at the center of the trial—reimbursing payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged sexual encounter—were strictly personal affairs and not protected under official acts of the presidency.

“Paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity… An affair, or a cover-up of an affair, is not within the ‘outer perimeter’ of the President’s official responsibilities,” Judge Hellerstein wrote in his 35-page order.

• Insufficient Legal Grounds: The federal court stated that Trump’s legal team failed to present new or legally sufficient grounds, noting that they failed to show “good cause and diligence.”
• Strategic Delay & Judicial Hopping: The judge criticized Trump’s legal strategy of pursuing relief in state court first before turning back to federal court, writing that the defense could not treat the court system as a way to get “a second bite at the apple.”

Background & Next Steps

Trump was convicted in May 2024 by a New York state jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments made ahead of the 2016 election. He was sentenced in January 2025 to an unconditional discharge with no fine, jail time, or probation.

Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, Trump’s lawyers petitioned to move the case to federal jurisdiction to challenge the evidentiary grounds of his conviction. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals instructed Judge Hellerstein to re-evaluate the arguments, leading directly to Friday’s reaffirmation of his initial denial.

Response from Defense: Trump’s legal team criticized the ruling as “baseless and lawless,” arguing that official communications and evidence presented at trial breached federal immunity standards. They confirmed plans to file a formal appeal with the 2nd Circuit while continuing their parallel appeal in the New York state court system.