New: Appeals court rejects Trump delay request in NY civil trial

An appeals court Thursday rejected Donald Trump’s bid to delay a civil trial in a lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, allowing the case to proceed days after a judge ruled the former president committed years of fraud and stripped him of some companies as punishment.

The decision, by the state’s intermediate appellate court, clears the way for Judge Arthur Engoron to preside over a non-jury trial starting Oct. 2 in Manhattan in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil lawsuit.

[No real surprise here on a continuance motion. He may do better on the more substantive appeals that will follow, but the appellate court is always going to be inclined to let the fact-finding process of a trial proceed. — Ed]