Judge Delays Trump New York Sentencing

On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan granted President-elect Donald Trump’s request to dismiss charges in his criminal hush money case and removed the sentencing date.

According to The Hill, Merchan halted the case to accept additional written briefing on Trump’s argument that his return to the White House compels the court to toss his 34-count felony conviction entirely. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is opposing that request. Instead, Bragg suggested that Merchan could pause the proceedings while Trump is in office, meaning the conviction would remain on the books but sentencing wouldn’t occur until 2029, at the earliest. 

Merchan ordered Trump to file his formal motion asking for dismissal by Dec. 2 and Bragg to respond by Dec. 9. The judge will then decide how to proceed. 

Meanwhile, Trump attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict altogether, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

They have moved most aggressively to pull the plug on the hush money case, given that Trump’s sentencing was rapidly approaching on Nov. 26.  

“[D]ismissal of this case is necessary under the Constitution and federal law to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power — and in the interests of justice — following President Trump’s victory in the Electoral College and the popular vote in the 2024 Presidential election,” Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, whom the president-elect recently nominated to senior Justice Department officials, wrote in a letter last week. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.