Donald Trump’s sentencing in his Manhattan hush money criminal trial has been rescheduled for after the November election.
On Friday, Justice Juan Merchan postponed the sentencing to November 26, noting “the unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in” as one of his justifications.
Lawyers for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have used a variety of legal procedures to postpone the sentencing, which was due for September 18.
In May, a New York jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying company documents, making him the first sitting or former president to be convicted of a criminal offence.
In his judgement, Judge Merchan stated that the case requires “a sentencing hearing that is entirely focused on the jury’s verdict.”
“Their verdict must be respected and addressed in a manner that is not diluted by the enormity of the upcoming presidential election,” he said, setting sentencing to exactly three weeks after the 5 November election.
Trump could face up to four years in prison, but Justice Merchan has the power to impose a fine, probation, or a brief jail term.
Prosecutors accuse the former president of concealing a payment to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels, a former adult-film star, in the final days of his 2016 election campaign.
However, Justice Merchan has the authority to impose a fine, probation, or a short jail term instead. Trump has maintained that he did nothing wrong and called the trial a “disgrace.”
Ms. Daniels claimed that she had sex with Trump and got $130,000 (£99,000) from his former lawyer before the 2016 election in exchange for keeping quiet about the encounter.
Prosecutors claimed that by endorsing a ruse to mask the money as legal fees, Trump violated election laws.
Trump’s original sentencing date was July. His lawyers postponed it following a US Supreme Court decision that provided presidents with limited immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts.”.
Justice Merchan granted a delay so that the parties could prepare arguments about the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on his case.
A decision on the ramifications will be made on November 12. Justice Merchan dismissed several of Trump’s lawyers’ claims for delay as “unsubstantiated grievances… that do not merit this Court’s attention.”.
However, he stated that sentencing hearings are frequently postponed in other cases for reasons ranging from personal circumstances to scheduling issues.
“Given the unique facts and circumstances of this case, there is no reason why this defendant should be treated differently than any other,” Mr. Justice Merchan wrote.
He further stated that his decision to postpone “should dispel any suggestion” that the court would have reached a verdict in favour of “any political party or any candidate for any office.”
