On Thursday, President Donald Trump's plea to postpone the upcoming defamation trial was declined. Trump's legal team had sought a 90-day delay in the trial, requested last week in a lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. The trial is scheduled to commence on January 16.

Following the court's statement that he had delayed too much in asserting presidential immunity as a defense, Trump's legal team made the request. The attorneys for the former president argued that Trump required additional time to contemplate potential appellate avenues.

Additionally, they referenced Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith's submissions to the Supreme Court in a distinct case, urging prompt scrutiny of Trump's presidential immunity argument. However, the Supreme Court dismissed Smith's efforts to expedite a ruling.

Carroll initiated the lawsuit due to a string of untrue and damaging remarks made by Trump during his presidency. These included his denial of a previous alleged sexual assault against her and insinuations that she fabricated the incident to publicize a book.

In a separate case, a jury ruled Trump accountable for sexual abuse, resulting in a court order in May demanding him to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.