A New York state judge on Thursday ordered that former President Donald Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. and eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, testify under oath within 21 days, rejecting arguments by attorneys for the Trumps who sought to block or stay subpoenas from New York state's attorney general, Letitia James.

The decision by Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York State Supreme Court came after two hours of at-times heated oral arguments in which the Trumps' attorneys argued that James' probe constituted selective enforcement and "viewpoint discrimination" and could improperly mix the findings of a civil investigation with a separate criminal case that James is also a party to.

"In the final analysis," Engoron wrote, "a State Attorney General commences investigating a business entity, uncovers copious evidence of possible financial fraud, and wants to question, under oath, several of the entities' principals, including its namesake. She has the clear right to do so."