
The sentencing of former President Donald Trump on felony criminal charges has been postponed until November 26 by a New York judge.
In the ruling issued on Friday, Judge Juan Merchan stated, “This Court does not make this decision lightly, but it is the one that best serves the interests of justice in its opinion.”
After receiving a request from Trump’s legal team to push up the Sept. 18 sentence until after the Nov. 5 election so they could appeal a pending rule pertaining to presidential immunity, Merchan made the decision.
Two days prior to what would have been the first-ever sentencing of a former president on criminal charges, on September 16, that decision was anticipated. In May, Trump was found guilty on 34 charges of fabricating company documents pertaining to the payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, which occurred close to the conclusion of the 2016 presidential campaign.
In a filing dated August 14, Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove contended that “a single business day is an unreasonably short period of time” for such an appeal. “There’s no reason to keep rushing.”
According to the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, prosecutors will “Respect the Court’s decision regarding the necessity of an adjournment to facilitate civil appellate proceedings” over any Trump appeal, but they “would be prepared to appear for sentencing on any future date the Court sets.”
In his order on Friday, Merchan stated that he interpreted that as the DA effectively approving the request. It was also noted by him that the case “is one that stands out and occupies a special place in the history of this country.”
“The public’s faith in the fairness of our legal system requires a sentencing hearing that is devoid of any distractions or distortions and that is solely focused on the jury’s decision and the consideration of both aggravating and mitigating circumstances. The jury members put in a great deal of effort in this case, and their decision ought to be honored and handled without being overshadowed by the significance of the impending presidential election. The defendant also has the right to a sentencing hearing that upholds and defends his constitutional rights, if one is required,” the judge wrote.
Additionally, the judge delayed his decision on the immunity issue until November 12, which is two weeks before the potential sentence date and after the election.
Merchan said the delay should assist “Prevent giving the impression, however unjustified, that the case is influenced by or aims to influence the upcoming presidential election, in which the defendant is a candidate.”
At an address to the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Fraternal Order of Police later that day, Trump took a different tack.
“Everyone knows there was no case because I did nothing illegal, thus the Manhattan DA witch hunt against me has been put on hold. A witch hunt is underway. It’s an attack by comrade Kamala Harris and my political rivals in Washington, D.C.,” he declared. “This case should be rightfully terminated immediately.”
The decision was made public roughly an hour after Trump called Merchan a “very hostile” judge during a Manhattan press conference regarding the numerous lawsuits he is up against, all of which he claimed were “hoaxes.”
“A 12-member jury from New York quickly and unanimously found Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts of felonies,” the Bragg administration stated in a statement. When the court sets a new date, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is prepared to sentence someone.
Due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to broaden presidential immunity in a separate federal criminal case against Trump in Washington, D.C., Trump’s sentencing has been delayed twice. Originally set for July 11, the sentencing date was pushed back to July 11. However, Merchan allowed a plea for further time from Trump’s attorneys in an attempt to persuade him that the verdict should be reversed and the indictment dropped due to the high court’s July 1 immunity ruling.
They contend that the drastic measures are required because the Supreme Court’s decision indicates that Manhattan prosecutors should not have been permitted to introduce evidence of Trump’s “official acts” during his trial. This includes the use of exhibits that include various public statements he made while in office and testimony from former White House aide Hope Hicks detailing a conversation she had with the president. The prosecution argues that the court ought to uphold the historic jury verdict and that the Supreme Court’s decision had no bearing on the evidence they presented during the trial, which focused on Trump’s personal behavior.
In an additional attempt to push the state case into federal court last month, Trump’s lawyers cited the Supreme Court’s decision. This maneuver might postpone the sentencing. Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied that request.
Trump attempted to have the case transferred to federal court last year, but Hellerstein rejected his motion, concluding that the case’s evidence “strongly implies that the issue was solely personal” one for Trump, a “cover-up of an embarrassing event.” The secret money given to adult film stars has nothing to do with a president’s official duties.
The top court’s decision, he claimed, had not altered his opinion. “Everything in the Supreme Court’s ruling does not change my earlier determination that the hush money payments were private, unofficial activities that fell outside the purview of governmental authority,” Hellerstein wrote.
Shortly before Merchan’s decision on Friday, Hellerstein also rejected Trump’s request to halt the lawsuit while he files an appeal.
There was a moment when it appeared as though Trump would face four criminal trials this year. The only one to reach trial is the New York case.