(NEWSnet/AP) – Donald Trump was convicted by jury Thursday of 34 counts of falsifying business records – but his attorney plans to pursue further litigation.

Trump’s defense lawyer Todd Blanche said in an interview with Fox News that he expects to appeal trial Judge Juan Merchan’s decision not to recuse himself. Any appeal track in this case would go through the appellate division of New York’s state court system.

Asked on Thursday night if he thought Trump got a fair trial, Blanche responded: “No, I don’t think so.”

Trump and his lawyers repeatedly argued Merchan should not have presided over the case, suggesting he had shown signs of bias. Blanche noted that he had filed two separate motions asking the judge to recuse himself from the trial.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

Trump, who served one term in the White House, is the leading Republican presidential candidate as the 2024 primary season winds down, and the Republican National Convention is scheduled to open July 15.

In the meantime, Trump has announced a news conference at 11 a.m. Friday at Trump Tower.

The New York case, known as the hush money case, was the first of four criminal indictments against Trump to go to trial and get a verdict. The other three — local and federal cases in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

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