Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case
Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to delay sentencing
The Supreme Court rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s emergency motion to delay his sentencing in the hush money case involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. The court’s 5-4 decision clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence on Friday.
A divided Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s bid to delay his sentencing in his hush money case in New York.
The court’s 5-4 order clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence Friday on Trump, who was convicted in what prosecutors called an attempt to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied any liaison with Daniels or any wrongdoing.
Supreme Court Declines to Delay Sentencing
What we know:
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court’s three liberals in rejecting Trump's emergency motion.
They found his sentencing wouldn't be a serious burden since Merchan has indicated he won't give Trump jail time, fines or probation. Trump's arguments against the verdict, meanwhile, can be handled as part of the regular appeals process, the majority found.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would have delayed the sentencing, the order states.
Trump’s attorneys sought to delay the sentencing, arguing that presidential immunity should protect him and warning of a "grave injustice" to the presidency.
Reacting from Mar-a-Lago, Trump expressed confidence in his appeal, stating: "I respect the court's opinion. It was... a very good opinion for us because you saw what they said, but they invited the appeal... I think it's going to work out well."
Trump’s attorneys have argued that evidence used in the Manhattan trial violated last summer’s Supreme Court ruling giving Trump broad immunity from prosecution over acts he took as president.
At the least, they have said, the sentencing should be delayed while their appeals play out to avoid distracting Trump during the presidential transition.
The Case and Expected Sentence
The backstory:
Trump was convicted of attempting to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, intended to influence the 2016 election.
Judges found that the convictions on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to personal matters rather than Trump’s official acts as president. Daniels says she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. He denies it.
Legal analysts say he is likely to receive an unconditional discharge, meaning no jail time, fines, or probation.
Trump is represented by D. John Sauer, his pick to be the solicitor general, who represents the government before the high court.
Sauer also argued for Trump in the separate criminal case charging him with trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which resulted in the Supreme Court’s immunity opinion.
Defense attorneys cited that opinion in arguing some of the evidence used against him in the hush money trial should have been shielded by presidential immunity. That includes testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made while he was in office.
The decision comes a day after Justice Alito confirmed that he took a phone call from Trump the day before the president-elect’s lawyers filed their emergency motion before the high court. The justice said the call was about a clerk, not any upcoming or current cases.
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Sisak reported from New York, Hill from Albany, New York. Associated Press writer Mark Sherman contributed to this report.
The Source: Written with information from The Associated Press.