Judge approves changes to Weinstein's legal team

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein won a judge's approval today to overhaul the defense team in his rape and sexual assault case, replacing his bulldog New York City attorney with a four-person squad that's high on courtroom stars and headline-grabbing cases.

The disgraced Hollywood mogul was in a Manhattan courtroom – along with new lawyers Jose Baez, Ronald Sullivan and Duncan Levin, and ex-lawyer Benjamin Brafman – as Judge James Burke signed off on the switch.

"Welcome to the New York State Supreme Court," Burke told Weinstein's new lawyers.

Weinstein, 66, and Brafman, 70, announced last week that they had "agreed to part ways amicably." The move came a month after they lost a hard-fought bid to get the case thrown out.

Asked as he left court if he was happy with his new lawyers, Weinstein responded "absolutely." Brafman told reporters that he wished Weinstein "the best of luck with his case."

Weinstein's trial is slated for May 6, with a pretrial hearing March 8. Baez said they planned to abide by that schedule.

Weinstein is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. He denies the allegations.