The judge presiding over President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case in New York has delayed sentencing, granting Trump’s legal team an opportunity to argue that the conviction should be overturned in light of his election victory.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, whom Trump’s team previously sought to have removed from the case over allegations of bias, did not set a new sentencing date in his one-page order issued Friday, which canceled the sentencing hearing originally scheduled for next week, the Daily Wire reported.
The judge presiding over President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case in New York has delayed sentencing, granting Trump’s legal team an opportunity to argue that the conviction should be overturned in light of his election victory.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, whom Trump’s team previously sought to have removed from the case over allegations of bias, did not set a new sentencing date in his one-page order issued Friday, which canceled the sentencing hearing originally scheduled for next week, the Daily Wire reported.
The Washington Post reported that Judge Juan Merchan is permitting Trump’s legal team to argue for the conviction to be overturned, citing the potential interference it could cause with his ability to fulfill his duties as president following his re-election.
“Just as a sitting President is completely immune from any criminal process, so too is President Trump as President-elect,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a letter filed this week.
The case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who received backing from George Soros, has long been considered the weakest of the legal challenges against Trump. Even many Democrats expressed serious concerns about the case, suggesting it likely would not have been pursued if Trump were not running for president.
Meanwhile, the two federal cases against Trump led by special counsel Jack Smith are nearing resolution, as the Department of Justice cannot prosecute a sitting president.