Will there be another hush money trial against Trump after he leaves office? The possibility is raised by his pending appeal, which was the subject of a hearing Wednesday.

If the case was in federal court, Trump could ask to have the conviction dismissed because it involved evidence related to his official acts as president—which a court would be

The Republican is asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene after a lower-court judge twice rejected the move. As part of the request, Trump wants the federal appeals court to seize control of the criminal case and then ultimately decide his appeal of the verdict, which is now pending in a state appellate court.