Trump hush money sentencing delayed until after election [View all]
Source: Reuters
September 6, 2024 1:43 PM EDT Updated 3 min ago
NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - A New York judge on Friday delayed former U.S. President Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money criminal case until after the Nov. 5 election, writing that he wants to avoid the unwarranted perception of a political motive. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, had previously been scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18.
His lawyers in August asked Justice Juan Merchan to push back his sentencing date until after the vote, citing "naked election-interference objectives." Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges against Trump, is a Democrat. Merchan said on Friday he now planned to sentence Trump on Nov. 26, unless the case is dismissed before then.
"The imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance - however unwarranted - that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate," the judge wrote. "The Court is a fair, impartial and apolitical institution." Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said after the ruling that the case should be dismissed altogether. "There should be no sentencing in the Manhattan DA's Election Interference Witch Hunt," Cheung said in a statement.
Trump's lawyers also argued there would not be enough time before the sentencing for the defense to potentially appeal Merchan's forthcoming ruling on Trump's request to overturn the conviction due to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision on presidential immunity. Merchan had been scheduled to rule on that motion on Sept. 16. He wrote on Friday he now plans to rule on that motion on Nov. 12.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/judge-rule-donald-trumps-bid-delay-hush-money-sentencing-2024-09-06/
Link to RULING (PDF) - https://tmsnrt.rs/4eh6X9z
Article updated.
Original article/headline -
September 6, 2024 1:13 PM EDT Updated a min ago
NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - A New York judge on Friday delayed former U.S. President Donald Trump's sentencing on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star until Nov. 26.
Trump, the Republican nominee for president, had asked Justice Juan Merchan to push back his sentencing date until after the Nov. 5 election. Trump had previously been scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18, less than two months before the election.
Trump's lawyers in August argued there would not be enough time before the sentencing for the defense to potentially appeal Merchan's forthcoming ruling on Trump's request to overturn the conviction due to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision on presidential immunity.
Merchan had been scheduled to rule on that motion on Sept. 16. The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling, which related to a separate criminal case Trump faces, found that presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for their official acts, and that evidence of presidents' official actions cannot be used to help prove criminal cases involving unofficial actions.
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