UNITED States Supreme Court has cleared the way for President-elect Donald Trump to be sentenced in his New York hush money case on Friday, rejecting his emergency request to delay the proceedings. This decision comes just days before his second term inauguration on January 20.
The court’s 5-4 ruling overruled Trump’s appeal, with four conservative justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh – siding in favor of the request, while Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s liberal justices against it.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over Trump’s trial, had set the sentencing for Friday morning, though he indicated that Trump would face neither penalties nor prison time.
The Supreme Court stated that Trump’s concerns could be addressed “in the ordinary course on appeal” and noted that the impact of the sentencing on his presidential transition was “relatively insubstantial.” Trump’s request was exceptional, as the Supreme Court typically refrains from intervening in state criminal cases before all state-level appeals are exhausted.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records related to payments made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to reimburse a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had an affair with Trump before the 2016 election—a claim Trump denies.
The incoming president is challenging his conviction, citing a Supreme Court ruling in July that former presidents are entitled to broad immunity for official actions. However, prosecutors argue that the evidence used in his trial was unrelated to his official conduct as president.
Trump’s legal team argued that the sentencing would distract from his critical transition duties and harm national security. However, New York prosecutors countered, emphasizing the public interest in moving forward with the sentencing, which they expect to take no more than an hour.