Trump fumes as judge schedules his first criminal case to begin in the middle of the Republican primary: 'A sad day for New York' | 15 Feb 2024 | Donald Trump's New York criminal trial on charges he concealed payoffs to alleged lovers to hide sex scandals from voters in the lead up to the 2016 election will begin on March 25, a judge ruled Thursday. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said that jury selection in the estimated six-week-long fudging business records case - the first of Trump's four criminal cases to head to trial - will begin smack in the middle of Republican primary season. Merchan issued his ruling despite protests from Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche -- who claimed going to trial in March would be a "great injustice" -- and from the former president himself, who complained in the courthouse's hallway that the case was "election interference." "Enjoy it. It's a sad day. It's a sad day for New York," Trump said.