President-elect Donald Trump has made a request to the Supreme Court to halt the scheduled sentencing in his hush money case in New York, which is set for Friday. This move comes after New York courts rejected his plea to delay the sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan, who oversaw Trump's trial and subsequent conviction last May on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump has consistently maintained his innocence in this matter.
Trump's legal team has urgently sought a stay on the impending sentencing, arguing that it would unfairly impede his transition into office. While Judge Merchan has indicated that he does not intend to impose jail time, fines, or probation, Trump's lawyers contend that a felony conviction would still have significant adverse consequences. They have emphasized the need to postpone the sentencing as Trump pursues an appeal against the conviction to prevent any potential injustice and disruption to the functioning of the federal government.
The emergency motion was filed by Trump's attorneys, John Sauer and Todd Blanche, who highlighted a Supreme Court ruling granting presidents broad immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office. They assert that this ruling supports their argument that Trump's conviction in New York should be overturned.
Trump's spokesperson has called for the dismissal of the case, and Trump has also lodged an emergency appeal with New York's highest court. The Manhattan district attorney's office has stated that it will provide a response in court filings.
The charges against Trump stem from allegations of concealing a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, an assertion he denies.
While Judge Merchan has ruled that certain evidence used in the trial should not be shielded by presidential immunity, Trump's legal team argues that the Supreme Court's immunity decision should have protected some of this evidence. They maintain that testimony from White House aides and social media posts made during Trump's presidency should have been considered protected under presidential immunity.
