Judge sets hearing for Adams, DOJ to explain dismissal of charges

The federal judge overseeing New York City Mayor Eric Adams's (D) criminal case set a Wednesday hearing to discuss the Justice Department’s effort to drop his charges.

U.S. District Judge Dale Ho ordered the parties to appear for an in-person hearing in New York City at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday.

Adams, who pleaded not guilty, was due to stand trial in April on charges of bribery, wire fraud and soliciting illegal campaign contributions.

After President Trump took office, the No. 2 acting Justice Department official, Emil Bove, directed prosecutors to drop the case, saying it “improperly interfered” with Adams’s 2025 reelection campaign and “unduly restricted” his ability to partner with the new administration on immigration.

Various prosecutors resigned in protest before two lawyers from the Justice Department’s public integrity section agreed to sign the filing Friday.

Their motion to toss the charges now heads to Ho, an appointee of former President Biden, who noted in his order that although prosecutors have wide discretion in abandoning prosecutions, he retains some discretion in deciding whether to sign off.

He wrote that the parties should be prepared to address “the reasons for the Government’s motion,” the effect of Adams’s consent to dropping the charges and “the procedure for resolution of the motion.”

Though his legal troubles may soon be over, calls for Adams to resign have grown in the wake of the Justice Department’s efforts to drop the charges.

On Monday, four deputy New York City mayors indicated they planned to resign from Adams’s administration, and the city council’s speaker asked Adams to step aside. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who has the power to remove Adams, said she is holding a meeting Tuesday to discuss the mayor’s “path forward.”

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