Trump sentencing in hush-money case delayed until September
A New York judge has pushed back Donald Trump's sentencing to September while his legal team works to dispute his conviction following a decision from the Supreme Court.
Trump was supposed to receive his sentence on July 11th, but it has been delayed.
His lawyers requested for his guilty verdict in a case involving secret payments to be nullified following the highest court's decision that ex-presidents are partially immune for actions deemed official while in office.
Judge Juan Merchan announced that he will make a ruling on the motions by September 6th.
If punishment is deemed necessary, the judge stated that it will occur on September 18th.
In May, a jury in New York declared Trump guilty of 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records. This marked the first time a former president has been convicted of a felony.
Legal authorities stated that Trump had repaid his associate, Michael Cohen, for money given to keep quiet an adult film actress, who alleged to have been romantically involved with Trump. The funds, given just before the 2016 election, were disguised by wrongly categorizing them as legitimate expenditures.
This is the initial trial among the four criminal cases involving Trump.
On Truth Social, Trump posted after Justice Merchan's decision, claiming that the delay was a complete exoneration and put an end to investigations against him.
Nevertheless, the choice simply temporarily stops the legal process until the judge reaches a final decision.
On Monday, the Supreme Court made a shocking decision that stated Trump, along with other previous presidents, cannot be prosecuted for their actions while in office.
The difficulty stemmed from a federal criminal lawsuit against Trump, alleging that he attempted to change the outcome of the 2020 election. This situation may also impact his other legal disputes.
Wanting to use the Supreme Court ruling to their advantage, Trump's legal team in the New York case moved swiftly to challenge the conviction handed down in May.
According to them, the Supreme Court decision is important in this situation because some of the key events and evidence in the case occurred during Trump's time in the White House.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, who handled the case against Trump, said that Trump's argument was not valid but requested until July 24th to submit a reply.
Nonetheless, legal professionals stated that Trump may face a difficult challenge ahead.
Mark Zauderer, a lawyer specializing in appeals in New York, stated that the accusations in the fraud case against Trump appear to be centered on his personal actions rather than his responsibilities as an official.
Even though Trump may be able to argue his immunity defense in certain cases, he will face significant challenges when it comes to the New York case.
Prosecutors demonstrated that Cohen, under Trump's direction, gave $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about a supposed sexual incident with Trump in 2006. This transaction occurred while Trump was running for president.
Afterwards, Trump repaid Cohen in several payments beginning in early 2017, and inaccurately labeled them as legal fees.
It may be challenging to persuade a court that this conduct qualifies as "official" presidential actions, according to Philip Bobbitt, an expert in constitutional law.
"I simply can't envision it," he informed the BBC.
