Trump's Lawyers Argue Appeal of Hush Money Conviction Before New York Appeals Panel
Photo: The Guardian USLawyers for President Donald Trump are set to argue on Thursday before New York's Appellate Division, First Department, that his conviction on 34 felony counts over a 2016 hush money payment should be thrown out, more than two years after the verdict. Trump's lawyers and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office will each get 30 minutes to answer questions from the mid-level panel. A unanimous jury convicted Trump in May 2024 of falsifying business records tied to reimbursements to his then-attorney Michael Cohen, who had paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 days before the 2016 election for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter, which Trump denies. His legal team has changed: Todd Blanche is now U.S. attorney general and Emil Bove III is a federal judge. Robert Giuffra of Sullivan & Cromwell now leads, and an Oct. 16 filing repeated Trump's claim that the case should never have been brought. Both sides have indicated the case is headed to the state Court of Appeals and possibly the U.S. Supreme Court.
Left-leaning MS NOW and CBS News focus on procedure. MS NOW's headline and summary describe an appeal slowly moving back toward the Supreme Court and say the panel's ruling will not necessarily be final. CBS adds the most detail: the 30-minute limits, the lawyer turnover, the Giuffra filing and the Cohen and Daniels background. Right-leaning Newsmax is briefer. It frames the hearing as Trump's lawyers trying to persuade the court to throw out the conviction and notes that the conviction made history. Its excerpt omits the payment details and the further appeals. All three agree on the Thursday hearing and the more-than-two-years timeline. The two articles listed as alternative sources, from Middle East Eye and AP, cover a different matter, the UK Supreme Court appeal over the Palestine Action ban.
How the sides differ Left sources stress the appeal's procedure, background and likely path to higher courts; right source stresses the bid to overturn the conviction; alternative sources cover a different case.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
- CBS NewsTrump's lawyers argue appeal in "hush money" case
- The Guardian USTrump tries to get 2024 conviction in hush-money corruption case thrown out
MS NOW stresses the slow path through the courts toward the Supreme Court. CBS News gives the fullest account, with the 30-minute arguments, Trump's changed legal team, Giuffra's filing and the Cohen and Daniels background.
The two alternative-listed articles do not cover the Trump case. Middle East Eye reports closed proceedings in the UK Supreme Court's Palestine Action ban appeal, citing Home Office lawyer James Eadie; AP reports more than two dozen arrests outside the court.
Newsmax gives a short account of Trump's lawyers asking a New York appeals court on Thursday to throw out the conviction, noting that it made history more than two years ago.