Hunter Biden loses appeal bid to dismiss criminal gun case in Delaware before trial

• A federal appeals court denied a request by Hunter Biden to dismiss the criminal gun charges against him in Delaware.
• The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said the appeal by the son of President Joe Biden was premature.
• The ruling leaves open the door for him to renew his arguments if he is convicted at trial, scheduled to begin in June.
• Hunter Biden is accused of three criminal counts related to his purchase of a handgun while being addicted to illegal drugs.
• He is separately charged by DOJ Special Counsel David Weiss with federal criminal tax charges in Los Angeles federal court.

A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected a request by Hunter Biden to toss the pending criminal gun case against him, saying his appeal was premature.

The ruling clears the way for Hunter Biden's trial in the case to start on June 3 in U.S. District Court in Delaware. Biden is the son of President Joe Biden.

In its ruling Thursday, a three-judge panel on the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said Hunter Biden failed to show that the trial judge's decision in April allowing the gun case to proceed were appealable before any final judgment, which could include his sentencing.

The appeals panel, whose decision was unanimous, did not rule on the merits of Biden's arguments that the indictment should be dismissed.

If Biden is convicted at trial, he could renew the arguments for dismissal with the same appeals court that it declined to consider in its order Thursday.

Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, suggested that he will ask a full panel of judges on the 3rd Circuit to reconsider Biden's appeal, and could even ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case.

"In reviewing the panel's decision, we believe the issues involved are too