Trump Asks Supreme Court to Block Criminal Proceedings in Hush Money Case Ahead of Sentencing
President-elect Donald Trump has filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to halt criminal proceedings in his hush money case in New York, just days before his sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday.
In his legal filing on Wednesday morning, Trump’s attorneys sought to block further action, arguing that the case should be dismissed due to presidential immunity, NBC News reports.
The Supreme Court, which has set a deadline for New York prosecutors to respond by Thursday morning, could potentially take action before the sentencing occurs. In their filing, Trump’s legal team contends that allowing the case to proceed would lead to “grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government.”
“The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Constitution, and established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement to the outlet following the filing.
The request also calls for an immediate stay on the proceedings, emphasizing that the legal protections for a president should extend to a president-elect.
The case stems from Trump’s conviction in May for falsifying business records related to hush money payments made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Daniels claims that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, a claim Trump has repeatedly denied. The payments were made during the final days of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump’s legal team points to the fact that some of the evidence presented at trial involved official actions he took while serving in the White House. They argue that, based on the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year regarding presidential immunity, a president-elect should enjoy the same protections from criminal prosecution as a sitting president.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, had initially postponed Trump’s sentencing scheduled for July in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. However, Merchan ruled that Trump would not be granted immunity until after he is sworn in as president, prompting the rescheduling of his sentencing for Friday.
In addition to the criminal case, Trump faces ongoing legal challenges. In one such case, he was previously charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, but those charges were dropped after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. The Court’s ruling clarified that while a sitting president’s official actions are shielded from prosecution, any actions taken in a personal capacity, such as those involved in the hush money case, would not be protected.
Trump’s request to the Supreme Court was filed by lawyer D. John Sauer, who is expected to be appointed solicitor general in Trump’s upcoming administration. Another attorney listed on the filing, Todd Blanche, has been nominated by Trump as deputy attorney general.
As the legal proceedings unfold, all eyes are on the Supreme Court’s response, with the case carrying significant implications for the future of presidential immunity and its application to a president-elect.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
The Judge needs to be investigated as he is a Democratic doner.