Federal Judge Passes On DOJ & Mayor Eric Adams Ruling—For Now
Written by djfrosty on February 21, 2025
Source: Noam Galai / Getty
A federal judge held off ruling on the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams after a hearing.
On Wednesday (Feb. 19), U.S. District Court Judge Dale E. Ho held off on issuing a ruling on whether the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams and his legal team along with acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were present for the hearing, which lasted a shade under 90 minutes. Attorneys who had prosecuted Adams in the past were not present.
“I’m going to take everything you said under careful consideration,” Judge Ho told Bove after hearing arguments from him and Adams’ lawyers. “It’s not in anyone’s interest here for this to drag on. I understand that.” Judge Ho would add, “To exercise my discretion properly, I’m not going to shoot from the hip here on the bench.” He promised to provide a ruling in writing, but asked for “patience as I consider these issues carefully.” The prior arguments from Bove denied that there was a “quid pro quo,” calling it a fabrication. “We offered nothing and the department asked nothing of us,” Bove claimed. When asked if the dismissal meant there would be no further investigations against Adams, Bove replied, “No.”
Mayor Adams has been under intense scrutiny since the Justice Department’s recommendations to drop the case against him, allegedly so that Adams can aid President Donald Trump further in his immigration agenda of deportations. The directive led to the resignation of a half-dozen attorneys from the DOJ, including Danielle C. Sassoon, the acting U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York who penned a stern letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying she was “baffled” by Bove’s decision.
While Adams seemed unfazed by the proceedings, even smiling and cracking a joke at one point, the situation has added more trouble to his future. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is weighing whether to remove Adams from his position. “In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” she said in a statement, adding: “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”