On Thursday, Donald Trump’s legal team filed a motion in New York’s Supreme Court calling for the recusal of Judge Arthur Engoron from his civil fraud case. In late February, Trump was ordered by Engoron to pay over $454 million in the case brought forth by Attorney General Letitia James. Trump was also banned from running businesses in New York for three years.
The filing stated that Engoron should step aside as a state judicial investigation into conduct plays out. Sources familiar with the investigation told NBC 4 that the probe is investigating whether Engoron had an improper conversation with high-profile real estate lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey in the weeks before Engoron’s judgment.
The New York Code of Judicial Conduct exists to ensure that litigants are afforded a fair and impartial trial. Justice Engoron's communications with Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey regarding the merits of this case, however, directly violate that code and demonstrate that Judge…
— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) June 20, 2024