A federal judge has officially denied Donald Trump’s request to move his state-level hush-money conviction into the federal court system. Trump’s legal team had argued that the case should be transferred and ultimately overturned, citing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling regarding presidential immunity. The defense contended that the actions for which Trump was convicted were official acts protected from state-level prosecution.

However, the federal court found that the arguments presented by the defense did not meet the legal threshold required to shift the jurisdiction of the case from New York state court to federal court. This ruling keeps the conviction under the purview of the state judicial system, where Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records earlier this year. The decision marks a significant setback for the former president’s ongoing efforts to challenge the legal outcomes of the trial. While Trump’s legal team has signaled their intent to continue challenging the conviction, this specific procedural maneuver has been blocked by the federal bench.