Trump hush money trial will begin April 15
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The judge overseeing former President Trump's New York hush money case said Monday that jury selection in the case will begin on April 15.
Why it matters: The date cements that the case will be the first of Trump's four criminal indictments to go to trial, meaning the former president will face criminal prosecution as he campaigns for another term.
State of play: The trial, originally scheduled to begin on Monday, was delayed earlier this month until mid-April after federal prosecutors produced more than 100,000 documents that could be related to the case.
- Judge Juan Merchan weighed during a hearing on Monday, with Trump present, whether to keep April 15 as the trial's tentative start date or push the proceeding back further.
- Federal prosecutors turned over the documents after an investigation into Michael Cohen, Trump's former fixer.
Zoom in: Trump, who has repeatedly sought to delay his legal troubles for as long as possible, requested that his New York criminal trial be delayed at least 90 days or dismissed completely.
- Trump during a news conference on Monday criticized the judge's decision to keep the hearing on track for a mid-April start, saying "I don't know how you can have the trial that's going on right in the middle of an election."
- "It's not fair," he said.
Catch up quick: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week urged Merchan to not delay the case any further, calling Trump's request a "strategic delay."
- Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in the case, which stems from a 2016 payment he allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
- He has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Go deeper: Trump trials timeline: Jan. 6, Georgia and docs cases all in limbo
Editor's note: This story was updated with details from the hearing and comments from Trump.