New York judge orders hold on canceling Trump's business licenses

Former President Donald Trump secured a brief reprieve in his civil fraud lawsuit on Friday as a New York court granted a delay in revoking his licenses to operate his businesses within the state.

The billionaire, widely considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the upcoming presidential race, took action by filing an appeal on Wednesday in an attempt to pause his trial before the New York court.

These hearings, conducted without a jury but with Trump in attendance, commenced on Monday following an unexpected ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron late last month. The ruling asserted that the Trump Organization had engaged in repeated fraudulent activities and ordered the revocation of business licenses belonging to Trump and his two adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric.

In a decision handed down by an appeals court in New York on Friday, Judge Peter Moulton declined to halt the trial but did grant a stay on the "order directing the cancellation of business certificates."

This marked a temporary victory for the former president, who now faces the potential dismantling of a significant portion of his real estate empire following Judge Engoron's ruling in September.

During the Friday hearing, the appeals judge listened to arguments presented by Trump's legal team and the attorneys representing the plaintiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James. James is pursuing a $250 million judgment against Trump on grounds of fraudulent business filings.

Trump's attorney, Christopher Kise, passionately argued, "This is everything owned or controlled by the defendant. Once you dissolve, you dissolve. It's chaos. It's chaos right now," according to reports from inside the courtroom.

In response, Judy Vale, the representative for James, contended that "there's just absolutely no basis for an interim stay of trial that's already been going on for a week."

Throughout the week, Trump spent nearly three days in the Manhattan court, both inside the courtroom itself and in the hallways, engaging with the press.

In a sharp retort on Wednesday, James dismissed his court appearance as "nothing more than a political stunt, a fundraising stop."

In turn, Trump referred to the African-American attorney general, a Democrat, as "corrupt" and "racist."

James firmly reaffirmed her stance, asserting that "justice will prevail" when the trial resumes on Tuesday.