Does the quashing of Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction spell hope for Trump?

Two famous American men with notorious reputations appeared in downtown Manhattan courtrooms near each other this week, during the latest round in their long list of legal problems.

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein appeared at New York State Supreme Court for a hearing on Wednesday for the first time since a New York appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction for rape and sexual assault of two women.

Weinstein now faces a September retrial, after the appeals court ruled that the judge in the case made “egregious errors” by letting the prosecution call witnesses with testimony unconnected to the charges.

Just one block away, Donald Trump’s hush money trial continued this week at Manhattan Criminal Court. The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records over a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The reimbursement to her was later logged as legal expenses. The prosecution argues that the payment in the lead-up to the 2016 election was tantamount to election interference, making the false records a felony.

The judge in charge of Trump’s case, Judge Juan Merchan, has ruled that if the former president chooses to testify, prosecutors may ask him about “uncharged bad acts,” including recent judgements against him, such as being found liable for defamation and fraud.

Could the same legal reasoning that saw Weinstein’s conviction appeal succeed help Trump overturn a possible guilty verdict in his New York trial?

Legal experts, including a criminal attorney represented Weinstein and a former San Francisco District Attorney, tell The Independent they think the cases have little to do with each other, and have different arguments over whether any ruling from Judge Merchan will withstand