Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial have agreed to postpone his sentencing following a recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. The final decision now rests with Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial and will consider Trump’s legal team’s request to delay the sentencing.
The potential delay stems from the Supreme Court’s decision that “official” actions taken as a president cannot be used as evidence in cases involving “unofficial” conduct. Trump’s attorneys argue that this ruling undermines his conviction and that sentencing should be paused to address this new legal context.
Joshua Steinglass, an assistant district attorney on the case, stated: “Although we believe the defendant’s arguments are without merit, we do not oppose his request for leave to file and his potential request to adjourn sentencing pending the determination of his motion” (source).
During the trial, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, where prosecutors used tweets from his presidential account to explain his relationship with Michael Cohen, the key witness for the prosecution. He was found guilty of covering up “hush money” payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in connection with the 2016 presidential campaign. Sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11.
Trump’s legal team plans to file arguments for a delay by July 10, and prosecutors are set to respond two weeks later. The decision on whether to grant the delay will be made by Judge Merchan, and if approved, the sentencing could be postponed past the Republican National Convention, which starts on July 15.
