Former President Donald Trump did not request a jury for his
New York civil fraud trial, but even if he had asked for one, the answer would've been "no," a judge said Wednesday.
Judge Arthur Engoron addressed an issue that had been the subject of speculation on social media and by Trump himself, saying it "keeps coming up," even though he doesn't "read the papers or go online to read about" the trial.
Engoron is presiding over the bench trial of a
$250 million lawsuit filed in 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, in which she accused Trump, two of his sons, their company and other executives of years of widespread fraud. Engoron said that in paperwork certifying that the case was ready for trial, James' office checked a box suggesting it be a non-jury proceeding.
Trump's team had 15 days to oppose that, but did not, Engoron said, because there was no point in doing so.
"It would not have helped to make a motion. Nobody forgot to check off a box," Engoron said