Judge delays sentence as Trump pushes for hush money conviction to be thrown out

A judge in New York will delay President-elect Donald Trump’s sentence on his hush money conviction as the new president fights to have the conviction thrown out.

The hearing was scheduled for November 26 but was cancelled. Judge Juan Merchan now gives Trump’s team until Dec. 2 to file a request to dismiss the charges. Prosecutors have until December 9 to submit their response.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that he is open to deferring the sentence on the charges if Trump’s legal team follows this path. But Bragg’s office opposed dismissing the conviction entirely.

Merchan was scheduled to hear arguments earlier this month following the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling that presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for official actions taken while in office. Although the Supreme Court does not define “official acts,” Trump’s lawyers say his conviction should be overturned in light of the Supreme Court’s decision.

The trial was expected to come more than five months after Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

His sentence remains controversial following Trump’s presidential election victory. There were many delays in the sentencing, primarily due to the Supreme Court’s decision regarding immunity. Merchan faced constant delays because he did not want to hold the hearing right before the presidential election.

A jury in May found Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his New York hush money criminal trial, making him the first American president to be convicted of a crime. During the six-week trial, prosecutors argued that Trump falsified records to hide damaging stories, including his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

The New York criminal case was the first of four criminal cases against Trump. He faces federal charges in Florida for his handling of classified documents. He was also indicted in Washington, D.C. for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In Georgia, Trump is also accused of allegedly interfering with the elections. However, all of these cases will likely be dismissed when Trump takes office on January 20, 2025.

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