Mayor Eric Adams arrives at U.S. District Courtroom in Decrease Manhattan for his court docket listening to on Feb. 19, 2025.
Picture by Dean Moses
A federal decide mentioned Wednesday that he would deliberate on whether or not to grant the Justice Division’s movement to dismiss Mayor Eric Adams’ federal corruption case after listening to arguments from each Adams’ authorized crew and prime DOJ officers.
U.S. District Courtroom Choose Dale Ho grilled each officers with Trump’s DOJ and Adams’ authorized crew throughout a Wednesday afternoon listening to in Manhattan federal court docket on why the costs must be dropped.
Ho taking extra time earlier than making a choice complicates issues for each Gov. Kathy Hochul and different prime New York Democrats as stress mounts on them to take away Adams from workplace. Adams has confronted a torrent of backlash from fellow elected, fearful that he’s now within the thrall of Trump following the DOJ’s transfer to dismiss his case with out prejudice, which means it might resurrect the costs at any time.
It additionally places stress on a metropolis panel that might be shaped to oust Adams from workplace, generally known as the Committee on Mayoral Incapability. Nevertheless, there may be disagreement about whether or not the mayor’s present predicament counts as one thing the committee can weigh in on.
Protesters exterior Manhattan Federal Courtroom throughout Mayor Adams’ listening to on Feb. 19, 2025.Picture by Dean Moses
Regardless of the turmoil at Metropolis Corridor, Choose Ho maintained he would fastidiously study all arguments offered and render a choice on his personal schedule.
“I’m going to take everything said today under consideration,” Ho mentioned throughout the listening to. “I’m not going to shoot from the hip right now on the bench.”
In the course of the listening to, Choose Ho requested Adams, underneath oath, if he understood the phrases of the dismissal movement and that it was being sought “without prejudice,” which means that the Justice Division might resurrect the case in opposition to him at any time. The mayor mentioned he did.
Moreover, the decide requested Adams, once more underneath oath, if he had agreed to the phrases of the dismissal with out being coerced into settlement, and that he didn’t obtain any quid professional quo in change. Adams mentioned underneath oath he was neither coerced into settlement, nor did he settle for any cut price with prosecutors.
The listening to took roughly 90 minutes to finish. Afterward, Mayor Adams moved shortly out of the courthouse and again right into a ready automobile with out taking questions from reporters.
In the course of the listening to, performing Lawyer Normal Emil Bove defined the details of his Feb. 10 memo that ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to dismiss the costs final week.
Bove repeated that the movement to dismiss was primarily based on the Trump Justice Division’s assertion that former Manhattan US Lawyer Damian Williams allegedly introduced the case for political causes. He additionally advised Choose Ho that the pending indictment prevented Adams from cooperating with Trump’s immigration crackdown particularly as a result of the mayor had sure safety clearances revoked on account of the case, which prevents him from collaborating in sure job forces chargeable for immigration enforcement.
The listening to follows former Manhattan US Lawyer Danielle Sassoon, in a bombshell letter final week, accusing each events of participating in a quid professional quo. Sassoon charged that Adams’ authorized crew and the DOJ traded his cooperation with Trump’s deportation agenda for dropping the federal costs in opposition to him. Each Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro and prime DOJ officers deny Sassoon’s declare.
Throughout Wednesday’s listening to, Bove asserted that Mayor Adams’ under-oath statements that he didn’t settle for any cut price and isn’t underneath any coercion was proof that no quid professional quo exists.
