A federal appeals court has ruled that Hunter Biden’s case on firearms charges should move forward.
Lawyers for the president's son had asked the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a ruling rejecting his bid to dismiss the case. But a three-judge panel said the 3rd Circuit doesn't have jurisdiction to review the matter at this time.
Thursday's ruling sets the stage for the trial to begin next month in Delaware where it's expected to last three to six days.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days in Delaware. He has acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine during that period, but his lawyers have said he didn’t break the law.
He was indicted after a plea deal that would have resolved the case without the spectacle of a trial imploded in July 2023 when a judge who was supposed to approve it instead raised a series of questions.
The judge found that Biden’s team provided “nothing concrete” to support a conclusion that anyone actually influenced the special counsel’s team.
A separate trial on tax charges in California is also tentatively set to begin in June.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
