A federal judge was skeptical of President Donald Trump’s argument to try to move the appeal of his hush money conviction to federal court — after lawyers already took their shot in two other courts. Trump’s attorneys are trying to get the appeal of his hush money conviction moved into federal court where the judges could interpret challenges involving federal preemption and presidential immunity. Removal would also plow a quicker path to have the appeal heard by the US Supreme Court. “All your doing is saying your good cause is you’re afraid to anger the state court and you want to give the state court the first chance” to rule on the Supreme Court decision before trying the argument in federal court, the judge said. That appeal can ultimately be brought to the US Supreme Court but it has additional layers of review.

Source: CNN February 05, 2026 00:01 UTC