Former President Donald Trump addresses the media during a news conference on May 31, 2024, after being found guilty in a hush-money trial, marking a historic first for a former president to be convicted of crimes.
A New York judge has postponed the sentencing of former President Donald Trump, aiming to maintain the court’s perceived political neutrality as the election period approaches.
Judge Juan Merchan has rescheduled the sentencing for November 26, shortly after the upcoming presidential election.
In his ruling, Merchan emphasized, “The imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance—however unwarranted—that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate. The Court is a fair, impartial, and apolitical institution.”
This decision follows Trump’s legal team’s attempts to leverage a recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity to challenge his groundbreaking conviction ahead of the election.
Moreover, Merchan has also delayed deliberations regarding the potential overturning of the criminal conviction, with a hearing now set for November 12.
In May, Trump became the first former or sitting president in U.S. history to face criminal trial and receive a conviction.
Trump’s defense argued that testimonies from former White House staffers and other evidence, including statements made during his presidency, infringe upon the Supreme Court’s ruling granting presidents immunity for actions carried out while in office.
The Supreme Court’s decision came shortly after Trump’s conviction in New York, complicating an already unprecedented scenario for a current Republican presidential candidate.
Throughout the summer, Trump and his legal team have attempted to mitigate the implications of the case, alleging political bias against Merchan. Their efforts to overturn the conviction, appeal it, delay sentencing until after the election, and seek a relocation of the case to federal court have all been unsuccessful so far.
Following the decision to delay, a Trump campaign spokesperson stated, “There should be no sentencing in the Manhattan DA’s Election Interference Witch Hunt. As mandated by the United States Supreme Court, this case, along with all of the other Harris-Biden Hoaxes, should be dismissed.”
In May, New York jurors unanimously determined that Trump had falsified business records to hide a $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, an act intended to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Despite the sentencing delay, Trump has been using the conviction strategically for fundraising. His campaign reported raising millions within 24 hours following the guilty verdict. Since becoming the GOP presidential nominee, he has frequently referenced these legal challenges during campaign events.
The jury’s deliberation in Manhattan’s criminal court involved testimony from 22 witnesses over approximately four weeks. They reviewed various types of evidence, primarily documents including phone records, invoices, and checks paid to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former associate who facilitated the hush money payment.
The fundamental facts surrounding the payments and the invoices categorized as legal services were not contested.
Prosecutors were required to prove that Trump intentionally falsified the records to facilitate another crime, which implicated a breach of New York election law prohibiting conspiracies to manipulate election outcomes through illegal means.
Jurors had the option to determine if those unlawful means constituted violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, falsifications of tax returns, or falsified business records.
The verdict was delivered more than a year after a grand jury indicted Trump on March 30, 2023, marking a historic first for criminal charges against a former or sitting president.
