Sentencing for President Donald Trump on his guilty verdict in a New York hush-money case is postponed until at least September, a jud...
Sentencing for President Donald Trump on his guilty verdict in a New York hush-money case is postponed until at least September, a judge said on Tuesday, meaning the former president will no longer have a hearing on the matter just days before he receives the GOP’s presidential nomination at the party’s convention.
Judge Juan Merchan shared the decision in a letter responding to communications from the defense and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s team about pushing back the proceedings after the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Trump is immune from prosecution for official acts as president in a separate case.
The July 11 date Merchan previously picked for sentencing is “vacated,” the judge said, adding, “The Court’s decision will be tendered off-calendar on September 6, 2024 and the matter is adjourned to September 18, 2024, at 10:00 AM for the imposition of sentence, if such is still necessary, or other proceedings.”
Trump’s attorneys requested to challenge their client’s guilty verdict and postpone the date for sentencing. A CNN source reportedly said the lawyers argued the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling affirmed their position that Bragg should not have been permitted to offer evidence at trial regarding official presidential acts.
Prosecutors then told the judge they would not fight the Trump team’s request in a letter earlier on Tuesday, which said, in part, “Although we believe defendant’s arguments to be without merit, we do not oppose his request for leave to file and his putative request to adjourn sentencing pending determination of his motion.”
In May, jurors convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to allegedly cover up a tryst with adult film actress Stormy Daniels as part of a “catch-and-kill” scheme to influence the 2016 election. Trump, who denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges, vowed to appeal the verdict.
Because Merchan had earlier picked a date for sentencing days before the GOP convention starting on July 15, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley told Newsmax last month that officials were preparing for the possibility that Trump would be in jail when he receives the party’s nomination.
Three other criminal cases loom over Trump as he seeks a second term in the White House, including two led by special counsel Jack Smith: a 2020 election case and one that focuses on classified documents. Another 2020 election case came together in Georgia and is led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Trump has maintained his innocence throughout. Besides the hush-money case, it does not appear likely that any of the other cases will reach the trial stage before the November contest, in part due to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday that sent the federal election case back to a lower court for further review.
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