Posted on 01/09/2025 6:16:33 PM PST by Bayard
The U.S. Supreme Court late Thursday refused to delay Donald Trump’s sentencing in his New York City hush money case on the eve of his scheduled sentencing, marking a significant defeat for the president-elect that means his historic conviction will be finalized before he retakes office.
In a 5-4 decision, the nation’s high court denied Trump’s request for an emergency stay, or pause, of the criminal proceedings in his Manhattan case as he fights a set of rulings by state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, meaning the proceeding will go forward Friday.
The judges were not moved by Trump’s claim that the sentencing would pose an undue burden as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20.
“The burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial in light of the trial court’s stated intent to impose a sentence of ‘unconditional discharge’ after a brief virtual hearing,” the court’s order read, referencing Merchan’s signal last week that he would not impose any punishment.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump-appointee Justice Amy Coney Barrett sided with the court’s three liberal justices in rejecting Trump’s bid. Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh would have granted the application, the order read.
Earlier Thursday, in asking the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s bid for a delay, prosecutors had warned pausing the sentencing threatened to delay him being brought to justice for years. They said now was the time to bring finality to the case in which Trump was found guilty in May of falsifying business records for covering up a payoff to porn star Stormy Daniels to suppress her story about an alleged sordid sexual encounter in a scheme that violated New York election law.
Trump’s flurry of last-minute appeals was sparked when Merchan unexpectedly scheduled his sentencing for Friday at 9:30 a.m. in a decision last week in which he refused to throw out the case. He said that the president-elect could appear for sentencing by video and that he was inclined to sentence him to an unconditional discharge, meaning he would not face jail time, fines, or probation.
Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) While Trump is not expected to face any form of punishment, the sentencing will bring closure to his conviction and officially classify him as a convicted felon just 10 days before his second presidential term begins, a first in history.
After Trump’s lawyers failed to convince Merchan and two New York appeals courts to halt the sentencing, they asked the Supreme Court’s nine justices in a last-ditch attempt to intervene on Wednesday, arguing that the Constitution required the case to be paused as Trump tried to fight Merchan’s rulings in appeals hinging on Trump’s arguments that he is shielded from the criminal process by presidential immunity.
Among other arguments, Trump’s lawyers have said that he should receive immunity as the president-in-waiting and that Merchan should have barred evidence relating to his first presidency at his trial, including testimony from his former White House staffers about private conversations about hush money and threatening tweets directed at Michael Cohen from Trump’s presidential Twitter account.
The Supreme Court order Thursday said Trump’s complaints about evidence allowed at his trial could be addressed “in the ordinary course on appeal” and did not warrant intervention.
The Supreme Court building is seen on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) The Supreme Court building is seen on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) In opposing the request, prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office argued that there was no basis for Supreme Court intervention and that Trump’s legal positions were unsupported by any court anywhere.
Asking the high court to agree with multiple New York judges, they said the high court’s ruling from last year granting a president sweeping protections from criminal prosecution did not apply to the 2016 hush-money scheme, devised before Trump’s first presidency, or to Trump now as he prepares to retake office.
“[Defendant] makes the unprecedented claim that the temporary presidential immunity he will possess in the future fully immunizes him now, weeks before he even takes the oath of office, from all state-court criminal process,” prosecutors wrote.
“This extraordinary immunity claim is unsupported by any decision from any court. It is axiomatic that there is only one President at a time.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he appreciated “the time and effort of the United States Supreme Court in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me,” and that he was innocent.
“For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL,” Trump wrote.
A spokeswoman for Bragg declined to comment.
The jury’s May 30 verdict found Trump, 78, guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from a scheme to hide embarrassing details about his past from voters in 2016 that violated New York election law.
The Manhattan case was the only one of four brought against Trump after his first term that made it before a jury. When he takes office, he cannot pardon himself of the state-level charges.
Amy Conehead and Traitor Roberts rule!
Deep State controls the SCOTUS.
“..Deep State controls the SCOTUS....’
Blackmail? Family, loved ones, pets threatened?
That’s usually the communist way of “doing business”.
Amy Phony Barrett
Likely some are content to serve Deep State.
The rest could be under house arrest for all we know.
Again us conservatives fought for “conservative-esque” jurists and all we got was a steaming pile of TRAITOR!!
Roberts is majorly hiding something he does not want reveals, and Barret has to be deep state!
Just where are more like Scalia, Thomas, and Alito??
Republicans ARE THE WROST AT PICKING SC JURISTS!!
Barrett is a Federalist Society recommendation - all they serve up is squishes. Not as bad as the ABA, but that’s not saying much. Trump may have the chance to nominate replacements for Thomas and Alito - the two oldest and most conservative justices on the bench. He can’t get their replacements wrong. He should probably ignore the recommendations of the Federalist Society.
What an abject disappointment those two are.
“What an abject disappointment those two are.”
TRUTH you speak....
It was a long shot for the SCOTUS to hear this case when state appeals are yet to be filed. Trump will be “convicted” of non crimes and the media will rend their garments and foam at the mouth about a convicted criminal being sworn in as POTUS. This will just be background noise as Trump is inaugurated President. Trump will get the last laugh as he will cut through the swamp bureaucrats like a scythe through ripe wheat. Watch for Merchan to be indicted on real charged of election interference. The Democrats will fi d they have awakened a terrible giant and filled him with powerful resolve
The Left has demonstrated that it will go after and harm conservative actors. ACB and Kavanaugh have children. Do the math.
After the ‘sentencing’ - Trump’s appeal will immediately go to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court will throw out the case in it’s entirety.
Today they essentially followed the law. Nobody is above the law, including Trump.
A jury has convicted Trump on a bogus charges that should never have seen the light of day... Despite that, because a jury did find him guilty, the sentence associated with that guilt needs to be pronounced... After it is pronounced the Supreme Court will immediately take Trump’s appeal and throw the entire case out, vacate the verdict and the sentence and they will likely admonish the prosecutor, the judge and the state of New York for laying these bogus charges in the first place.
They will likely do this by Monday or Tuesday of next week.
The MSM can screen all they want about him being a convicted felon I am sure that all 10 of their viewers will lap it up!! NO ONE watches them anymore unless of course you are in assisted living sitting there drooling on yourself!! I am 72 and have not turned on a news broadcast in at least a decade!! I get every ounce of my news on line!!
That’s what happens when Trump went after a DEI hire in Barrett.
Never understood this. Was a state court that made the charges federal to make it jailable. Now SC don’t see that and denied because judge says Trump can video it in and he is going to likely rule and impose a sentence of ‘unconditional discharge”. Which is nothing and he can still appeal. What if judge says prison instead.
“...The Democrats will fi d they have awakened a terrible giant and filled him with powerful resolve.”
👍 👍
I wouldn’t even show up for sentencing. What are they going to do?
What about the MANY times they ruled in our favor?
Who ho carees if the dems shoot their final firework?
Trump will be the most powerful man in the WORLD in 10 days.
Some are too fickle.
If they dont get their way, that group or person is a TRAITOR.
Childish nonsense
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