Donald Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from January 2017 to January 2021 and returned as the 47th president on January 20, 2025, made history as the first former US president to be criminally convicted. Now, back in the White House, he's trying to erase that guilty verdict from his record. A federal judge is scheduled to reconsider on Wednesday whether Trump's criminal hush money case should move from New York state court to federal court. If it moves, Trump could have a better shot at throwing out his conviction entirely. The case revolves around a $130,000 paymen

Donald Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from January 2017 to January 2021 and returned as the 47th president on January 20, 2025, made history as the first former US president to be criminally convicted. Now, back in the White House, he's trying to erase that guilty verdict from his record.

A federal judge is scheduled to reconsider on Wednesday whether Trump's criminal hush money case should move from New York state court to federal court. If it moves, Trump could have a better shot at throwing out his conviction entirely.

The case revolves around a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. Trump was convicted in May 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up the payment, which was meant to keep Daniels quiet about an alleged affair. Trump denies the affair ever happened.

The hearing comes after an appeals court said Judge Alvin Hellerstein made a mistake when he kept the case in state court last time. The appeals judges told him to take a closer look at whether Trump can use his presidential immunity to throw out the conviction.

Trump got an "unconditional discharge" sentence, meaning the conviction stays on his record but he faces no jail time, fines, or probation. Still, Trump wants the whole thing wiped out.

Here's the key question: Did prosecutors use evidence from Trump's time as president? If they did, Trump might be able to argue those were official acts protected by immunity.

Hellerstein has already rejected Trump's transfer request twice before. The first time was right after Trump got indicted in March 2023. The second was after the conviction, when Hellerstein said the case was about Trump's personal life, not his work as president.

Trump won't be at Wednesday's hearing in New York. His lawyers and Manhattan prosecutors have already submitted their arguments in writing. The district attorney's office wants the case to stay exactly where it is.

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