Judge Juan Marchan criticized the defense's attempt to compel NBC to produce documents about Stormy Daniels.
A New York judge has blocked an attempt by Donald Trump's lawyers to force the NBC News Network to turn over materials related to a recent documentary about adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
Thursday's ruling by Manhattan Judge Juan Marchan came just before the trial involving Mr. Trump and Mr. Daniels was set to begin on April 15.
In New York, former US President Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for allegedly paying hush money to Daniels and others.
Marchan said the Trump team's efforts to subpoena NBC were “the very definition of a fishing expedition.” He said the request does not meet the heavy legal burden necessary to require news organizations to provide unrestricted access to coverage.
The ruling is the latest setback for Trump, who is expected to be formally nominated as the Republican candidate for president in 2024. He faces four separate criminal cases, with his trial in New York starting first.
The lawsuit focuses on allegations that President Trump falsified his company's internal records to conceal the true nature of hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The payment was made through Michael Cohen, a former lawyer who is said to have helped quell negative rumors about then-presidential candidate Trump.
Mr. Cohen offered Ms. Daniels a $130,000 payment to suppress her claims that she had an extramarital sexual relationship with Mr. Trump several years ago. Daniels is expected to be a key prosecution witness in the trial.
Marchan also on Wednesday rejected a defense request to delay the trial until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on Trump's presidential immunity claims in a separate lawsuit. Marchand said the request was timely.
Mr. Trump's lawyers have so far been unable to prevent Mr. Cohen and Mr. Daniels from testifying at the trial.
The New York indictment is the first of four criminal charges against Trump to be announced.
After his historic indictment last March, President Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies. His lawyer argued that the payments were legitimate legal costs. The former president also denied having sexual contact with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Trump's lawyers subpoenaed NBCUniversal on March 11, seeking all documents related to the documentary's production, editing, marketing and release, as well as any compensation Daniels received and her agreement with the network. Ta.
Lawyers argued that the subpoena provides evidence that NBCUniversal and Daniels conspired to release the documentary near the start of the trial in order to prejudice the public and increase profits.
NBC had denied those claims.
In his four-page decision, Judge Machan said the defense subpoena was “overbroad” and that the collusion claims were “purely speculative and unsupported by evidence.”
Machan added that the subpoena was aimed at “penetrating the privileged documents of the press.”
In addition to the New York hush money case, Trump also faces two federal criminal cases. One case was in Florida, where he was accused of keeping classified documents after he left office. The other, in Washington, D.C., has accused him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
He also faces a fourth criminal case in Georgia, alleging he tried to overturn the election results.
