A New York judge on Friday indefinitely postponed President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money trial.
Judge Juan Merchan, in a court order, also allowed Trump's lawyers to file motions to dismiss the case involving Trump found guilty in 34 cases of falsifying business documents.
The verdict temporarily overturns the sentencing scheduled for next Tuesday.
Prosecutors within the Manhattan District Attorney's Office told Merchan this week that they were advocating a postponement of the sentencing date to offer Trump's lawyers time to argue that the case must be dismissed entirely.
However, the DA's office also stated that it could oppose this dismissal offer.
Trump's lawyers – including Todd Blanchewhom Trump recently appointed because the No. 2 official on the Justice Department, argued Tuesday that the case have to be dismissed “immediately.”
“Just as a sitting president is completely immune from any criminal proceedings, so too is President Trump as president-elect,” Blanche and attorney Emil Bove wrote in a letter to Merchan.
Blanche pointed to Trump's transition team, which welcomed the court order, to CNBC.
“With a decisive victory for President Trump, the Manhattan hoax case is now fully closed and sentencing postponed,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a press release.
“All fake lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed,” Cheung said.
At the guts of the hush money case was Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen's try to stop porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out before the 2016 election about her alleged sexual affair with Trump years earlier. Cohen said Trump reimbursed him for $130,000 after he took office.
Trump has denied having sex with Daniels and accused prosecutors of political motives in pursuing the case.
The jury found Trump guilty on all counts in May; Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced in mid-July. However, that move has been repeatedly postponed since the Supreme Court has ruled that former presidents enjoy presumptive immunity for all official acts they took while in office.
The case in Manhattan Supreme Court was the one one among 4 separate criminal cases against Trump, who went to trial before he won the presidential election on November 5 against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump's victory must also bring an end to the opposite criminal proceedings.
Prosecutor Special Counsel Jack Smith is anticipated to drop two cases against Trump in federal court before Trump takes office on January 20.
The cases in Washington, DC and Florida each stem from allegations that Trump illegally sought to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden within the 2020 election and that he illegally mishandled confidential documents after leaving the White House.
As president, Trump could Fire Smithand he has said that he plans to achieve this. Smith and his team reportedly plan to resign before Trump gets the possibility.
Another federal criminal case against Trump in Georgia can also be on hold and will remain that way for years.
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