By Redacción
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President-elect Donald Trump has requested that the Supreme Court intervene to block Friday’s scheduled sentencing in his New York hush money case.
Trump’s legal team filed the emergency motion on Wednesday after state courts in New York declined to delay sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan. Merchan oversaw Trump’s trial and conviction last May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump maintains his innocence.
Prosecutors were expected to respond to the motion by Thursday morning.
Trump’s lawyers argued for an immediate stay of the sentencing, claiming it would unjustly limit his ability to prepare for the presidency. Although Judge Merchan has signaled he will not impose jail time, fines, or probation, Trump’s legal team contends that the felony conviction would cause irreparable harm.
They stated that the sentencing should be delayed while Trump appeals the conviction to avoid what they called a “grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government.”
The motion was filed by attorneys John Sauer, Trump’s nominee for solicitor general, and Todd Blanche, who is set to assume a senior position at the Department of Justice.
Trump’s legal team also cited a Supreme Court decision granting broad immunity to sitting presidents from prosecution for official actions. They argue that this precedent supports their case to overturn Trump’s New York conviction.
Their filing asserted that the New York trial court “lacks authority to impose sentence and judgment on President Trump—or conduct any further criminal proceedings against him—until the resolution of his underlying appeal raising substantial claims of Presidential immunity, including review in this Court if necessary.”
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung labeled the case as politically motivated and called for its dismissal in a public statement.
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump’s lawyers also sought an emergency stay from New York’s highest court to pause all proceedings. They urged swift action to prevent disruption of the presidential transition.
Their state court filing echoed the arguments presented to the Supreme Court, accusing Judge Merchan and the state’s appellate court of failing to halt the sentencing. They argued that constitutional protections require an automatic stay while they appeal the ruling upholding the conviction.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has indicated that it will file its response in court. The emergency motion was presented to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who handles appeals from New York.
Trump’s convictions stem from allegations that he falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies.
Trump’s attorneys have also argued that some evidence used against him during the trial—such as testimony from former White House aides and social media posts made during his presidency—should have been excluded due to presidential immunity.
Judge Merchan rejected this argument, ruling that such evidence pertained to personal matters rather than official acts. While the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling applied to official acts of sitting presidents, Trump’s lawyers argue that it should extend to this case.
