No escape for Trump in hush money case as US judge blocks bid to shift federal court

US President Donald TrumpUS President Donald Trump’s bid to wipe out his New York hush money conviction has hit another roadblock, with a federal judge ruling that the case cannot be moved from state to federal court. Manhattan-based US district judge Alvin Hellerstein on Friday rejected Trump’s latest attempt to shift the case, saying the conduct involved was personal and not part of his official duties as president.The ruling came after a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals asked Hellerstein to take a closer look at how a July 2024 Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity applied to Trump’s case.At the centre of the dispute is Trump’s conviction over a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump was found guilty in May 2024 on 34 felony counts of fa