Trump requests court to postpone Friday’s sentencing in hush money case.
Donald Trump is appealing Judge Juan Merchan’s decisions rejecting his efforts to overturn his conviction in the hush money case. The president-elect is also seeking to delay Friday’s scheduled sentencing.
Trump’s appeal coincides with the formal certification of his 2024 presidential election victory—exactly four years after he attempted to challenge his 2020 election defeat, which culminated in his supporters storming the US Capitol.
On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s request to dismiss his conviction on the grounds of his presidential election win, reaffirming that the sentencing in the hush money case would proceed as scheduled on January 10, 2025. Merchan also clarified that Trump would not face any jail time.
Trump’s legal team has argued for a postponement of the sentencing, claiming it should be delayed until appeals regarding presidential immunity are resolved. In a filing, they stated, “The Court should vacate the sentencing hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025, and suspend all further deadlines in the case until President Trump’s immunity appeals are fully and finally resolved, which should result in a dismissal of this case, which should have never been brought in the first place.” They have asked Merchan for a response by 2 p.m. ET Monday.
The case stems from Trump’s May conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen. These payments reimbursed a $130,000 hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, aimed at silencing her claims of an alleged affair before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affair.
Trump’s sentencing was initially set for July but was postponed until after the election due to the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. However, last month, Merchan rejected Trump’s renewed efforts to dismiss the case on immunity grounds.
