The sentencing of former U.S. President Donald Trump has been postponed to September 18, 2024, to give the presiding judge additional time to assess the implications of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity. The decision, handed down on a federal criminal case related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, may affect evidence and testimonies in his New York hush-money conviction case.
Trump’s legal team successfully requested the delay, arguing that the Supreme Court ruling could potentially overturn his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Judge Juan Merchan indicated in a letter that sentencing would proceed if deemed “necessary,” suggesting the jury’s verdict could be overturned following this review.
Prosecutors have stated that they do not oppose the delay, although they maintain that Trump’s claims to annul the verdict are “without merit.”
A Manhattan jury had previously found Trump guilty of concealing a hush-money payment to an adult film star just before the 2016 presidential election. Trump’s lawyers argue that the recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity casts doubt on the fairness of the trial.
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