Trump asks US Supreme Court to block sentencing in hush money case
8 January 2025, 13:44
The US President-elect’s lawyers are seeking to postpone his sentencing on Friday.
Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to call off Friday’s sentencing in his hush money case in New York.
The US President-elect’s lawyers turned to America’s highest court after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by Juan M Merchan, the judge who presided over Trump’s trial and conviction last May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
His lawyers asked for an immediate stay of Friday’s sentencing “to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government”.
The Supreme Court has asked for a response from New York prosecutors by Thursday.
Judge Merchan has indicated he will not impose jail time, fines or probation.
Trump’s legal team has pointed to the Supreme Court’s ruling giving him broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
While that opinion came in a different case, Trump’s lawyers say it means some of the evidence used against him in his hush money trial should have been shielded by presidential immunity.
Judge Merchan has disagreed with this view.
