New York City Mayor Eric Adams went from a celebrated hero on the left to another politician facing an upcoming trial due to corruption charges, a familiar story on that side of the aisle.

According to The Hill, a federal judge ruled Friday that Adams will stand trial over corruption charges in mid-April. A bribery charge he's also facing could be thrown out by the judge before his trial date, as the judge said he's still deciding that matter. 

Adams faces a five-count indictment related to the corruption charges, with those charges consisting of "wire fraud, foreign contribution solicitation and bribery."

In September, Adams pleaded not guilty to charges involving alleged political favors for gift and alleged foreign campaign donations, the outlet reported.

What's going on?

Adams and his lawyers were extremely upset with the April trial date, as they warned of "grave, grave Democratic concerns," presumably referring to Adams' reelection campaign.

Adams and his defense wanted the trial to be wrapping up by April, not just beginning. The outcome of the trial could also determine whether or not he even runs for reelection.

Understandably, the defense wanted the dust from the trial to be settled by then as the New York ballot would be set by spring 2025.

"There is a point in early April when people know who is on the ballot," Adams' defense attorney Alex Spiro said during a hearing before the weekend. "He's either running with this hanging over his head or he's running with this over."

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Breaking News: Mayor Eric Adams of New York City is scheduled to stand trial on corruption charges on April 21. https://t.co/XRhaA9Fzxl

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 1, 2024

The judge in the case was receptive to Adam's lawyers concerns regarding an earlier trial, noting that he's entitled to a speedy resolution, but erred on the side of what he could "realistically" get done.

Bribery charge up in the air

The mayor's lawyers are pushing for a bribery charge to be dismissed, as they claimed it did not meet the legal definition of bribery.

ABC News noted:

With Adams silently looking on in court, defense attorney John Bash argued federal prosecutors failed to show Adams did anything more than broker meetings and set up phone calls.

Attorney John Bash argued, "The agreement has to relate to something specific and it has to relate to government power," adding, "They had no agreement for a specific action."

Only time will tell if the charge is dismissed and if Adams can recover politically.