Judge in Hunter Biden's gun case makes rulings on evidence ahead of June trial

In a final hearing before Hunter Biden is set to go on trial in Delaware for gun charges, a judge made some vital rulings that will determine what evidence the jury will see during the proceedings that are set to begin on June 3, clearing the way for some contents from a laptop that he left at a Delaware repair shop as well as evidence about his drug use to be shown. 

Hunter Biden's attorneys have argued that some of the material on the laptop is not authentic, but prosecutors pushed back Thursday, alleging they haven't presented any evidence of that to the court. In 2019, a computer repair shop owner provided the FBI with a laptop that he said had been left by Hunter Biden. He also gave a copy of the laptop data to former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Last September, Hunter Biden sued Giuliani for hacking data from his laptop. Giuliani has shown off the laptop in public, but when the lawsuit was filed, a spokesman for him denied  the drive had been manipulated. The lawsuit has not been resolved.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika handed both sides wins during the pre-trial conference, telling Hunter Biden's attorneys they could raise some issues with the laptop evidence at trial. But she sided with prosecutors about what they need to prove Hunter Biden's drug use when he bought a gun in 2018. They'll need to show he was using or addicted to drugs around the time of the purchase, she said. The defense argued prosecutors should have to prove Hunter Biden was using drugs on the exact day he bought the gun in question.