A New York appellate court on Tuesday denied U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s attempt to halt his sentencing scheduled for this Friday, following his conviction on criminal charges related to hush money payments made to an adult film actress.
Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer of the Appellate Division made the decision after a hearing on Trump’s last-minute effort to block the ruling by Justice Juan Merchan, who had ordered the sentencing to proceed despite ongoing appeals.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Merchan rejected requests from Trump’s legal team to delay sentencing while they appealed previous decisions upholding the Manhattan jury’s May guilty verdict on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Merchan described the delay request as “mostly a repetition of the arguments he has raised numerous times in the past.”
Justice Merchan indicated that he was not inclined to impose a prison sentence on Trump. Instead, he suggested that an unconditional discharge—effectively recording a judgment of guilt without additional penalties—would be the most practical approach given Trump’s imminent return to the presidency.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Trump criticized Justice Merchan, referring to him as a “crooked judge” complicating a smooth presidential transition. “Remember, this is a man that said he wants the transition to be smooth,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday before the hearing. “Well, you don’t do the kind of things. You don’t have a judge working real hard to try and embarrass you, because I did nothing wrong.”
The case centers on a $130,000 payment made by Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was intended to keep her from speaking publicly before the 2016 election about an alleged affair she claims to have had with Trump a decade earlier—a claim Trump denies. Trump’s victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in that election brought the issue to the forefront.
Trump has maintained that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, pursued the case to hinder his 2024 presidential campaign. Bragg has stated that his office routinely brings felony charges for falsifying business records. The conviction marked the first time a U.S. president, sitting or former, has been convicted of a crime.
Since the guilty verdict, Trump’s attorneys have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to have the case dismissed. They argued that a U.S. Supreme Court decision in a separate criminal case established that presidents cannot be prosecuted for official acts, asserting that this precedent should nullify the hush money case. Justice Merchan rejected this argument, clarifying that the case pertains to Trump’s personal conduct, not his official duties.
Following Trump’s election victory, his legal team contended that allowing the case to proceed would impede his ability to govern effectively. Justice Merchan denied this claim, stating that overturning the jury’s verdict would be “an affront to the rule of law.”
The sentencing set for Friday remains a significant event just ten days before Trump’s inauguration. As the legal proceedings continue, the case underscores the unprecedented legal challenges faced by a president-elect on the cusp of returning to the highest office in the nation.
(With input from agencies)
Reference(s):
New York appeals court denies Trump bid to halt hush money sentencing
cgtn.com
