Former President Donald Trump will head back to New York on Thursday for a hearing in his criminal hush money case, which was once viewed as the weakest of four indictments he faces but could now be the first to head to trial next month.

Trump was indicted in late March 2023 over an alleged “catch-and-kill” scheme during the 2016 presidential campaign to create false business records to conceal an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Justice Juan Merchan, who has a history of overseeing Trump-related cases, is tasked with deciding whether to move forward with the scheduled March 25 trial start, whether to postpone the trial, or whether to throw out the case as he considers five key arguments Trump’s defense lawyers plan to make.