Judge cancels New York City mayor's trial, keeps corruption charges intact

Voice of America

21-02-2025

A federal judge on Friday canceled the corruption trial of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The judge also appointed counsel to advise him on how to handle the Justice Department's controversial request to drop charges against the Democrat.
Judge Dale E. Ho's written order means he won't decide before mid-March whether to grant the dismissal of the case against the mayor of the nation's largest city.
At a hearing Wednesday, Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove cited an executive order by President Donald Trump outlining his criminal justice priorities as he defended the request to drop charges.
Adams confirmed at the hearing that he accepted that charges could later be reinstated. Critics suggest that the mayor would be required to carry out Trump's plans to round up New Yorkers who are in the country illegally if he wanted to remain free from prosecution.
The request is "virtually unreviewable in this courtroom," Bove argued.
Adams was indicted in September and accused of accepting more than $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and travel perks from a Turkish official and business leaders seeking to buy influence while he was Brooklyn borough president. He faces multiple challengers in June's Democratic primary. He has pleaded not guilty and has insisted on his innocence.
On Friday, the judge said he'd appointed Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general and acting U.S. attorney general, as amicus curiae to present arguments on the government's request to throw out the charges.
Ho said he wanted all parties and Clement to address the legal standard for dismissing charges, whether a court may consider materials beyond the motion itself and under what circumstances additional procedural steps and further inquiry would be necessary.
He also said he wants to know under what circumstances dismissal can occur without the ability to reinstate charges or with the ability to reinstate charges. He scheduled briefs to be filed by March 7 and, if necessary, oral arguments to occur on March 14.
Late Thursday, three former U.S. attorneys — from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey — submitted a letter urging Ho to "hear from parties other than the government and the defendant in deciding about the appropriate next steps."
Adams will not be required to attend future hearings, the judge said.
That could help mitigate some political damage for Adams as he could avoid being hauled back to court for hearings while he tries to convince the public that the case isn't distracting him from running the city.
Adams has sought to project calm as questions over his independence have sparked a political crisis in his administration.
This week, four of his top deputies resigned and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she had for now decided against removing Adams from office but would instead propose legislation to enhance state oversight of City Hall as a way to reestablish trust with New Yorkers.