The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s last-minute attempt to halt sentencing in his hush money case. The court, in a 5-4 decision on Thursday, denied Trump’s emergency application to delay the proceedings scheduled for Friday.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority. They concluded that sentencing would not significantly burden Trump during the presidential transition, particularly as Judge Juan M. Merchan has indicated that no jail time, fines, or probation would be imposed.
Trump’s legal team had argued for a delay, claiming that his appeal warranted postponement. However, the majority ruled that these issues could be addressed through the regular appeals process.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented, supporting a delay in sentencing.
A Shift in Supreme Court Dynamics
The decision marks a notable departure from recent rulings where the court’s conservative majority had sided with Trump. Over the past year, the court ensured states could not disqualify him from the ballot due to the January 6 Capitol riot and granted him immunity from prosecution for certain presidential actions, delaying an election-interference case against him.
Trump’s Response
Trump expressed respect for the court’s decision and reiterated his commitment to appealing the case. “I’m confident that justice will prevail,” he said.
Legal Arguments and Pushback
In the New York case, Trump’s attorneys argued that evidence used during the Manhattan trial violated a prior Supreme Court ruling granting Trump broad immunity for actions taken as president. They contended that sentencing should be postponed to avoid distractions during the presidential transition.
Prosecutors, however, dismissed these arguments, asserting there was no justification for the court to take the “extraordinary step” of intervening in a state case. They emphasized that an hourlong virtual hearing would not disrupt the transition process and warned that a delay could push the case beyond the January 20 inauguration, potentially resulting in a yearslong postponement.
The New York courts, including the state’s highest court, had previously denied Trump’s requests to delay sentencing. Judges in the state determined that Trump’s 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records related to personal matters, not official acts conducted during his presidency.
