The federal judge overseeing New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s (D) criminal case indefinitely delayed his April trial as he considers a controversial effort by President Trump’s Justice Department to drop the charges.
Since both the prosecution and defense are aligned in pushing to close the case, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho also appointed prominent conservative attorney Paul Clement to present arguments for the other side.
The order is the judge’s first update since holding a hearing in the case Wednesday, when acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove stressed the Justice Department’s wide discretion in making prosecutorial decisions.
Bove directed prosecutors to drop the case following Trump’s inauguration, saying it “improperly interfered” with Adams’s 2025 reelection campaign and “unduly restricted” his ability to partner with the new administration on immigration.
Now, the judge must decide whether the unusual circumstances compel him to use his limited authority to override prosecutors’ desire.
“Here, the recent conference helped clarify the parties’ respective positions, but there has been no adversarial testing of the Government’s position generally or the form of its requested relief specifically,” wrote Ho, an appointee of former President Biden.
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