A New York judge has postponed a decision on whether to overturn President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush money case, as his legal team seeks to freeze the proceedings, citing his upcoming return to the White House.
Judge Juan M. Merchan, who was scheduled to rule on Trump’s request to dismiss the conviction, informed lawyers on Tuesday that he would delay the decision until November 19. The ruling comes after Trump’s attorney, Emil Bove, requested the postponement over the weekend, arguing that halting the case is necessary to prevent “unconstitutional impediments” to Trump’s ability to govern once he assumes office.
The legal dispute revolves around a 2016 payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. A jury convicted Trump in May for falsifying business records related to the payment, made through his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. The payment was intended to prevent Daniels from speaking out during the 2016 presidential election campaign, a move Trump’s lawyers argue was made to protect his family and avoid personal embarrassment, not to influence the election.
In response to the conviction, Trump’s legal team pointed to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this summer, which held that former presidents cannot be prosecuted for actions taken in the course of their presidency. They argue that evidence presented at trial, including Trump’s financial disclosures and testimony from White House aides, was improperly used in the case. Prosecutors, however, maintain that this evidence was just a small part of their case and does not invalidate the conviction.
Trump’s conviction marked a historic first for any former U.S. president. The 78-year-old faces potential penalties ranging from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison. The case centers on how Trump reimbursed Cohen for the Daniels payment, which was initially made by Cohen during Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen was reimbursed through a series of payments logged by Trump’s company as legal expenses.
Despite Trump’s efforts to overturn the verdict, including pushing for the case to be moved to federal court, his legal team is now attempting to leverage his imminent status as president-elect to secure a dismissal. Before the election, a federal judge rejected efforts to shift the case, but Trump has appealed that decision.
As Trump prepares for his second term in office, the legal outcome of this case remains uncertain, with some questioning whether the courts will intervene to prevent the unprecedented situation of sentencing a former and future president.