A New York judge on Tuesday postponed his decision on whether to impose a guilty verdict on President-elect Donald Trump in his hush money trial or whether sentencing would happen in late November.
The one-week postponement was announced two days after the Manhattan district attorney's office asked the judge for time to think about what impact Trump's election victory had on the case.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who was scheduled to deliver his ruling on Tuesday, is now scheduled to make a decision on November 19 whether to dismiss the case.
Trump was scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 26 on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush-money payment from his former lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's lawyers filed a motion in July to dismiss the case and overturn the jury's verdict after the U.S. Supreme Court granted former presidents presumptive immunity for all official acts.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg had asked Merchan to disclaim that request, saying the Supreme Court's decision had no bearing on Trump's conviction within the hush money case.
On Friday – three days after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris within the 2024 presidential race – defense lawyers called on Bragg's office to conform to a stay of all proceedings and take time to review and consider arguments based on the election results.
The DA's office agreed.
“The people agree that these are unprecedented circumstances,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote Sunday in an email to Merchan that was shared in a public court filing Tuesday morning.
Defense attorneys' arguments “must be carefully considered to ensure that any further steps in this proceeding appropriately reflect the competing interests of (1) a jury verdict of guilt following a trial where regularity is presumed and (2) the office of the President.” “to compensate.” “wrote Colangelo.
In an email to Colangelo and Merchan, Trump attorney Emil Bove wrote: “The suspension and dismissal are mandatory to avoid unconstitutional obstructions to President Trump's ability to control.”
Later on Sunday, Merchan granted the request to suspend the current trial deadlines.
In a statement to NBC News on Tuesday afternoon, Trump's transition spokesman Steven Cheung said: “It is now abundantly clear that Americans want a direct end to the weaponization of our justice system, including this case that ought to never have been filed, so we are able to.” As President Trump said in his historic victory speech, unite our country and work together for the betterment of our nation.”
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