The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial has postponed the sentencing that was originally scheduled for next week.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Judge Juan Merchan has also decided to delay his ruling on the issue of presidential immunity until he has reviewed the relevant filings from both parties.
Trump’s legal team was granted permission to file a motion to dismiss the case, with a deadline set for December 2. Prosecutors will have one week to respond. Initially, Trump’s lawyers sought an extension until December 20 to file their documents.
The judge did not announce a new date for sentencing or provide additional comments regarding the delay. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, characterized the judge’s decision as a “decisive win” for the president-elect.
In a notable shift in circumstances, Trump’s legal and political situation has changed dramatically since he faced four separate indictments a year ago. Following his recent election victory, two of Trump’s federal cases are nearing conclusion, while a Georgia state case remains inactive, and the New York case appears to be on hold indefinitely without a set sentencing date.
The district attorney’s office has indicated that a sentencing for Trump may not occur until after the conclusion of his upcoming presidential term. Although District Attorney Alvin Bragg maintains that Trump’s felony conviction should remain, a source within the DA’s office mentioned the possibility of a four-year pause in the proceedings.
Trump’s legal representatives argue that the conviction should be overturned based on the anticipated ruling regarding presidential immunity and his return to the presidency. He was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to reimburse a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, which was intended to prevent her from speaking about an alleged affair prior to the 2016 election—a claim that Trump has denied.
The sentencing, previously set for July, has already been postponed twice following the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, which led Trump’s lawyers to submit a motion to vacate the conviction. This motion, along with various strategies such as attempts to transfer the case to federal court, has contributed to further delays in the proceedings and prompted Judge Merchan to defer both the sentencing and the decision on immunity until after the recent election.
