Judge Says Trump Can Attend Son's High School Graduation in Florida – The New York Times
Trump Hush-Money Trial
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Donald J. Trump had complained about the judge in his Manhattan criminal trial not immediately giving him permission to be away from court on the day of the graduation, May 17.
The judge in Donald J. Trump’s hush-money trial said Tuesday that the former president can attend the high school graduation of his youngest son, Barron, in Florida next month.
For weeks, Mr. Trump had loudly complained outside the courtroom about the prospect of missing the ceremony on Friday, May 17, and had criticized the judge, Juan M. Merchan, for not immediately giving him permission to attend.
But on Monday, before testimony restarted in Mr. Trump’s criminal trial in Lower Manhattan, Judge Merchan announced that he could have the day off from court.
“I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem,” Judge Merchan said. The judge later said court would not be in session that day, nor would it be on the following Friday, May 24, before the Memorial Day long weekend.
Barron Trump, 18, attends a private high school near Mar-a-Lago, his father’s residence.
Mr. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a hush-money payment to a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with him. He has denied the encounter and pleaded not guilty.
An earlier version of this article misstated the day the judge issued his ruling. It was Tuesday, not Monday.
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Matthew Haag writes about the intersection of real estate and politics in the New York region. He has been a journalist for two decades. More about Matthew Haag
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