Appeals court denies Hunter Biden’s request to postpone June trial on gun charges

A federal appeals court on Tuesday denied Hunter Biden’s request to postpone his trial on gun charges that’s scheduled to begin next month in Delaware.

The denial came a day after an attorney for the president’s son filed the motion seeking a delay. The attorney, Abbe Lowell, had argued that there is “no urgency in having an immediate trial” as a district court presses ahead with the June 3 trial in Wilmington.

Biden’s request was rejected by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit: Patty Shwartz, who was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama; Cindy K. Chung, a nominee of President Joe Biden; and D. Brooks Smith, a nominee of President George W. Bush.

The same three-judge panel had previously denied Biden’s bid earlier this month to overturn the trial judge’s rejection of several motions to toss out the case.

Lowell did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening. Special counsel David Weiss’ office declined to comment.

Weiss was appointed U.S. attorney for Delaware by former President Donald Trump and named last year to lead the ongoing probe of Biden by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Biden was indicted in September on three counts tied to possession of a gun while using narcotics. He has pleaded not guilty.

Biden faces a separate trial in California on tax charges that is scheduled to start June 20. He also pleaded not guilty to those charges, which include allegations that he failed to pay taxes, failed to file, evaded an assessment and filed a fraudulent form.