Call for impeachment of Donald Trump in 2024
Judge Juan Merchan said that once the date is set, all parties, including Trump, the favorite for the Republican nomination, should not schedule other events.
“He cannot accept any commitment to public events or appearances,” Merchan said in Manhattan state court.
Trump did not appear in court.
Merchan’s comments came during the first hearing in the case since Trump was indicted last month on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The judge said that once he makes a decision, Trump must appear in court virtually, to be notified.
Trump denied charges related to refunds to his then-attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
Prosecutors say the 2016 payments were intended to silence Daniels over the sexual relations she says she had with the former president years earlier.
Trump is the first former president or sitting president of the United States to be charged with a crime.
The 76-year-old former president seeks to return to the White House in the November 2024 elections.