With 43 days left before the start of Stephen K. Bannon’s trial in Manhattan, he asked a judge on Monday to be allowed to replace his lawyers for a second time, a move that could delay the trial. Again.

Mr. Bannon, who is charged with defrauding contributors who paid for the construction of a southern border wall, first replaced his defense team in 2023 after one of his lawyers said there had been “a complete breakdown in communication.”

In November, the New York judge overseeing the trial, April A. Newbauer, pushed back its start date from December to February, saying “we’re not changing it again.”

But on Monday, the lawyer that Mr. Bannon now wants to represent him, Arthur Aidala, said that he did not have enough time to adequately prepare for the Feb. 25 trial because there was so much information “to swallow and process.”

“We are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” he told the judge. “I just don’t have, or we, I should say, we don’t have, enough information.”

Justice Newbauer ordered Mr. Bannon to return to court on Jan. 22 for the parties to make their arguments about his request.

Mr. Bannon, an influential right-wing media figure, was a staple in Donald J. Trump’s orbit for years — he was an architect of Mr. Trump’s 2016 election victory and served as a White House strategist. In recent years, he has been embroiled in a multitude of controversies.

In October, Mr. Bannon was released from prison after serving four months on contempt charges for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena for information about the events of Jan. 6, 2021. This week, he catapulted back into the news after rebuking Elon Musk, the newest star in the president-elect’s team, calling him a “truly evil person.”

His work in Mr. Trump’s first administration led to Mr. Bannon’s legal troubles in New York. And his attempts to delay his case in Manhattan bear a resemblance to Mr. Trump’s own methods of stalling prosecutions.

The allegations against Mr. Bannon stem from his involvement with a group called We Build the Wall, which raised more than $25 million from donors to help construct a barrier between the United States and Mexico, Mr. Trump’s signature policy initiative during his first term.

Mr. Bannon played a senior role in the group, which promised donors that their contributions would be used only to build the barrier. However, prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office have said that was a lie, and have accused Mr. Bannon with taking part in a conspiracy to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into the pockets of the group’s officers.

Mr. Bannon faced similar federal charges, and several co-conspirators went to prison. But Mr. Trump pardoned Mr. Bannon during his final hours in office in 2021, when the president wiped away the convictions and prison sentences of a roster of politicians and business executives.

Last year, lawyers who helped Mr. Bannon secure his pardon won a judgment against him for nearly $500,000 in unpaid legal fees.

Mr. Trump cannot pardon Mr. Bannon on state charges, so New York’s case against him has chugged along.

Mr. Aidala, whom Mr. Bannon now wants to represent him, is a ubiquitous figure in New York’s criminal courtrooms who is as comfortable before a judge as he is before the press — like many of his clients. His roster includes Rudolph W. Giuliani, Harvey Weinstein and a former top aide to Mayor Eric Adams.

On Monday, Mr. Aidala said Mr. Bannon approached his law firm in December, but he declined to represent Mr. Bannon because of another trial scheduled for January. His firm then left that case for unrelated reasons, making him available for Mr. Bannon, he said.

Another complication, according to Mr. Aidala, is that in the spring he is scheduled to represent Mr. Weinstein on sex crimes charges. And Mr. Weinstein has asked for his trial to be moved up, which could interfere with the start of Mr. Bannon’s case, Mr. Aidala told the judge.

“I don’t want you to think anyone is trying to play any games or do any slick lawyering,” Mr. Aidala said. “I told you everything that’s a factual basis for where we are here today.”

Justice Newbauer said she was concerned that replacing the law firm that had been driving the case might result in “starting from scratch.”

Prosecutors also resisted the request. Jeffrey Levinson, an assistant district attorney, told the judge that they were “indifferent as to who represents Mr. Bannon, as long as the case goes to trial as scheduled.”

“He is clearly trying to make a substitution of counsel for the purpose of delay,” Mr. Levinson said.

As he prepares for his final year as governor of New Jersey, Philip D. Murphy on Tuesday proposed banning cellphones in schools and disclosed plans to blunt any additional limits on abortion access by the Trump administration.

Mr. Murphy also said he would work to address last year’s alarming 14 percent increase in roadway fatalities by overhauling the state’s 10 most dangerous intersections.

Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, began his seventh State of the State address in Trenton by acknowledging what he called “the elephant that is not in the room”: President-elect Donald J. Trump.

“I know there is some uncertainty and even concern about what this administration will bring,” the governor said, drawing the first round of applause from the standing-room-only crowd.

Mr. Murphy, who plans to attend Mr. Trump’s inauguration next week, said he “would never back away from partnering with the Trump administration” when doing so aligned with New Jersey’s priorities. But he vowed to fight Mr. Trump “if and when” those values are tested.

To that end, he said that New Jersey would stockpile a supply of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions, in the event that Mr. Trump moved to limit its availability.

Aides to Mr. Murphy said New Jersey’s Department of Health had already begun gathering a six-month “strategic reserve” of medications, including mifepristone, which will be stored with abortion providers.

New Jersey law permits abortion throughout a pregnancy. But the governor also said that he would pursue legislation to end out-of-pocket costs for the procedure, reiterating a proposal he made last year.

As he outlined his priorities for his final year in office, Mr. Murphy said he would push for legislation to provide full pay to state workers on parental leave, make full-day kindergarten mandatory in the small number of towns that do not already offer it and permit 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections.

But perhaps the loudest and most sustained applause came when Mr. Murphy said he would direct school districts to adopt policies that ban cellphones in the state’s elementary, middle and high schools.

“Our children are inundated with screens,” Mr. Murphy said, adding that cellphone use had fueled a rise in cyberbullying and contributed to a mental health crisis among children.

“We will help establish phone-free schools,” he vowed.

New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said Monday that she planned to limit cellphone use in schools.

New York and New Jersey join a growing number of states, including Virginia, Ohio and Minnesota, that have moved to limit the use of the devices in schools. Los Angeles Unified became the largest school district in the United States to ban cellphones last year.

Mr. Murphy is prohibited by law from running for more than two consecutive terms, and November’s race to replace him is already in full swing.

Six prominent Democrats and four Republicans are competing for their party’s nomination to run for governor in the June primaries. The list of contenders includes the mayors of the state’s two largest cities, two members of Congress and a former Republican Assembly member who came within three percentage points of beating Mr. Murphy in 2021.

Indeed, the governor’s speech had a perfunctory air, and members of the audience at times appeared distracted; some repeatedly exited and re-entered the State Assembly chamber throughout the address.

The Republican leader of the State Senate, Anthony M. Bucco, called Mr. Murphy’s address a retread of costly, feel-good policy proposals.

“This state has become more and more and more unaffordable,” Mr. Bucco said.

“The days of spending outside of our means are coming to an end,” he added.

Still, the hourlong speech offered a window into major challenges facing New Jersey, including last year’s 14 percent increase in roadway fatalities.

Traffic fatalities nationwide have been declining. But last year in New Jersey, there were 691 traffic deaths, up from 606 the year before. Pedestrian fatalities soared by 32 percent.

The increase coincided with a drastic eight-month reduction in traffic enforcement by State Police troopers, who in July 2023 began writing far fewer tickets for speeding, drunken driving, cellphone use and other violations.

The reduced enforcement began a week after the state’s attorney general, Matthew J. Platkin, released a report critical of the performance of the State Police, New Jersey’s largest policing agency.

In August 2023, the first full month of the slowdown, troopers wrote 81 percent fewer tickets statewide, and crashes on the state’s two main highways immediately began to increase, according to records obtained by The New York Times through public records requests.

Mr. Platkin has appointed Preet Bharara, a prominent former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, to lead a criminal investigation of the slowdown.

Mr. Murphy is the only official in New Jersey with the power to replace the State Police superintendent, Col. Patrick Callahan, who led the department during the slowdown.

On Monday, when asked about the relationship between traffic fatalities and the reduced levels of enforcement, Mr. Murphy said, “If we’re not enforcing the laws on the books, that’s unacceptable.”

But he also worked to shift accountability for the slowdown away from himself and instead place full responsibility on Mr. Platkin and Colonel Callahan.

“It’s on their backs to get this into the right place,” Mr. Murphy said, adding that he had confidence in both men.

A spokesman for Colonel Callahan did not respond to a request for comment.

On Monday, Mr. Murphy signed a bill that created a commission dedicated to reducing the number of traffic fatalities in New Jersey to zero by 2040.

On Tuesday, he told lawmakers that he would “work with all of you to make New Jersey’s roads safer.”

He also announced plans to “overhaul” 10 of the state’s most dangerous intersections “to keep our families safe and to help prevent avoidable tragedies.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York proposed slashing the state’s income tax for most residents as part of a sweeping populist agenda that she planned to outline in her State of the State address on Tuesday.

The speech revolved around a series of proposals, which Ms. Hochul has called her “affordability agenda,” designed to court struggling New Yorkers who voiced their frustration in November and weakened the Democratic Party’s grip on the state.

The tax cut, according to a briefing book released in advance of her speech, would be given to those who earn up to $323,000 per year for joint filers, or 77 percent of the state’s taxpayers. The move would “deliver over $1 billion in tax relief to more than 8.3 million taxpayers,” according to the briefing material.

Ms. Hochul also intends to cut taxes for parents, make school lunch free and give millions of New Yorkers rebates of up to $500 depending on their income.

It was not immediately apparent how many of these proposed programs would be enacted or funded. But it was clear that the re-election of Donald J. Trump had been on her mind as she crafted the address.

She highlighted proposals to protect the identities of doctors who prescribe anti-abortion drugs and add more state troopers to patrol the northern border. Expectant mothers would also qualify for a $100 monthly benefit during pregnancy; mothers on public assistance would receive an additional $1,200 when their child is born.

The governor, however, seemed to shy away from adopting the kind of “resistance” fervor that characterized responses to Mr. Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.

Ms. Hochul’s reluctance to do so, combined with her push on affordability, may reflect the precariousness of her own political future. Her popularity has plummeted in recent years, and rivals from both parties appear to be preparing to challenge her in 2026.

One potential Republican candidate, Representative Mike Lawler, who represents parts of the Hudson Valley, stood alongside Republicans from the State Legislature Tuesday morning and criticized the governor on a litany of issues, including congestion pricing, which he said only put more financial strain on New York commuters.

“She is a feckless and failed governor who needs to be replaced in 2026,” Mr. Lawler said, later adding that her speech on Tuesday “isn’t about working across the aisle to make New York a better, more affordable, safer place to live.”

Last month, Siena College released a poll that found that just 33 percent of voters wanted Ms. Hochul re-elected and about 39 percent had a favorable view of her. The poll also showed that about 43 percent of New York voters thought lowering the cost of living should be the Legislature’s top priority this year. Creating more affordable housing was also high on the list of priorities.

Ms. Hochul has seemed to tailor some of her State of the State proposals to those voter concerns. Her proposed “inflation refund” program would route roughly $3 billion in excess sales tax revenue directly to New Yorkers.

And Ms. Hochul’s proposed expansion of the state’s child tax credit would more than double what some families currently receive. In recent years, New York’s poorest families have typically received up to $330 per child. If the plan were enacted, eligible families could get tax credits of up to $1,000 per child under the age of 4. Families with children ages 4 to 16 could get credits of up to $500 per child.

Before the speech, the Erie County executive, Mark C. Poloncarz, applauded Ms. Hochul’s focus on bread-and-butter issues but said she would have to keep promoting her agenda beyond the State of the State address for it to sink in.

“One of the things that you can’t do is make these big announcements, and then that’s it,” he said. “People want to see and know their elected officials. They want to know more than you’re just investing in affordability issues, but that you understand their issues in their communities.”

Mr. Poloncarz, a Democrat, added that the governor needed to remind people that “the Democratic Party is the party of the working class. We’re the ones that brought Social Security, we’re the ones who came up with Medicare. We’re the ones of the Affordable Care Act, which the prior administration tried to eliminate.”

The proposed tax cuts and refunds come as the state contemplates how to plug a multibillion-dollar funding hole for infrastructure improvements to public transit. Last month, Carl E. Heastie, the Assembly speaker, and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate majority leader, rejected the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital proposal, citing in part the plan’s $33 billion deficit.

“Everything will have to be on the table,” Ms. Stewart-Cousins said when asked on Monday if new taxes to fund regional transit were under consideration.

Ms. Hochul said in papers accompanying the speech that she wants “a balanced mix of federal, state, city and M.T.A. contributions in line with historical practice, alongside new revenue sources to be agreed during budget negotiations this spring and cost efficiencies to be achieved by the M.T.A.”

Crime continues to be another pressing concern for New York voters, especially in the New York City subway, where a number of violent incidents have drawn attention to rider safety. Ms. Hochul wants to fund more lights and barriers on platforms, along with deploying more law enforcement officers on trains. She also wants to tweak and streamline how the discovery process works in preparation for trials.

And she is expected to elaborate on her efforts to loosen the standards for involuntary commitment and expand laws relating to court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for people with mental illness. Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has been a major proponent of these changes, saying they will go a long way toward addressing some of the perceived disorder on the trains and will help vulnerable people.

Brian Stettin, Mr. Adams’s senior adviser on severe mental illness, said in an interview that Ms. Hochul’s public comments had been encouraging and showed an urgency about the problems that outreach workers and others were confronting.

“Her comments have been consistent with what’s in our package,” he said. “But we are waiting to see the details.”

The governor will also propose spending $400 million to breathe new life into Albany’s struggling downtown, including $150 million for the aging New York State Museum. The proposed funds for the state’s capital were earlier reported by The Albany Times Union.

Jay Root and Maya King contributed reporting.