WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to temporarily pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied defense lawyers’ request to put the civil cases seeking to hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on hold while the criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his election defeat to President Joe Biden plays out.

It’s the latest legal setback for the former president and leading 2024 Republican presidential candidate, whose trial in a separate criminal case related to hush money payments made during the 2016 campaign began this week with jury selection in New York.

The lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 seek civil damages for harm they say they suffered during the attack, which aimed to stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory.

Trump has claimed he can’t be sued over the riot that left dozens of police officers injured, arguing that his words during a rally before the storming of the Capitol addressed “matters of public concern” and fell within the scope of absolute presidential immunity.

In the meantime, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution in an election interference case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

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