US President-elect Donald Trump has filed a petition the Supreme Court to halt the sentencing scheduled for Friday in his New York hush money case.
On Wednesday, Trump’s legal team approached the Supreme Court after New York courts declined to delay the sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan, who oversaw Trump’s trial that resulted in his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May.
This comes as Trump’s lawyers on Monday had requested to halt the sentencing, citing plans to appeal a recent ruling that upheld the verdict. Further, his legal team said that they were set to file a petition in state appeals court to overturn judge Juan M Merchan’s decision, which scheduled sentencing for Friday.
Meanwhile, Judge Merchan has indicated that the sentence will not include imprisonment, monetary penalties, or supervision.
Trump’s legal representatives have referenced the Supreme Court’s decision granting him extensive immunity from criminal prosecution in their efforts to overturn his New York conviction.
Although that ruling pertained to a separate case, Trump’s legal team argues that certain evidence used against him in the hush money trial should have been protected under presidential immunity, a position that Judge Merchan has rejected.
The sentencing for Trump, originally set for July 11, faced multiple delays following defense requests. Judge Merchan granted an additional postponement after the November 5 election to enable both parties to assess the case’s trajectory.
Set to make history as the first president to assume office with felony convictions, Trump expressed strong concerns via social media. He cautioned that upholding the judge’s decision on the May 30 verdict would fundamentally alter the nature of the presidency.
The hush money case centres on accusations regarding concealed payments to adult film performer Stormy Daniels during the closing stages of his 2016 campaign. These payments allegedly aimed to suppress her assertions of a previous intimate encounter with Trump. Trump has consistently maintained his innocence and refuted Daniels’ claims.
