Court Officially Confirms Details for First Hearing in Trump Criminal Case

The date for the first hearing in the criminal case against former President Donald Trump has been officially confirmed for April 4th, according to a spokesperson for the court. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan will preside over the hearing, which is open to both the general public and the press. While the courthouse is in lower Manhattan, the hearing will not be livestreamed.

As we previously reported, Trump was indicted by a grand jury, an unprecedented action for a former U.S. president, and the reasons for the indictment remain under seal.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, led by Democrat Alvin Bragg, confirmed that it is working with Trump’s attorneys to arrange for him to surrender for his arraignment on the indictment. The indictment may be related to a payment made by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to adult performer Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. Trump has denied this claim, but Cohen spoke to the grand jury about it.

The presiding judge signed an order last week authorizing the existence of the indictment to be disclosed, stating that “the indictment would be in the public interest.”

Joseph Tacopina, Trump’s attorney, has previously stated that the former president is angry and that legal details surrounding the case are still being worked out.