Manhattan: Can Trump delay prosecution with pre-trial hijinks?
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/manhattan-can-trump-delay-prosecution?utm_source=substack&utm_medium
Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance
Too much good stuff here describing what is likely about to occur and why to synthesize (my words).
'Can Trump circumvent prosecution with unprecedented, even meritless, legal proceedings designed to keep the prosecution from moving forward? The short answer is no. Trump can delay, but not derail...the Speedy Trial Act puts criminal cases on a shorter fuse, and while that can be delayed by pending motions and appeals, the prospects arent indefinite as they can be in civil cases...while there is some legal wrangling to do, once the court resolves those issues, its unlikely any additional efforts to delay will bear fruit; in fact, theyre likely to do the opposite and wear down the patience judges typically extend to defendants in criminal cases.
Trump may assert immunity under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, the doctrine that extends immunity to prosecution from state crimes for federal officers who are charged for conduct committed while carrying out their official duties. Trump, of course had no official duties stemming from the office of the presidency in New York during his campaign, and certainly none that involve paying off his former mistress to stay quiet. But what of Georgia? It presents, perhaps, a slightly closer call...Prosecutors may want to...establish that Trump didnt believe hed won the election. But whether Trump believed hed won or not, he had no official duties in this regard and no immunity from state prosecution.'