A New York state judge on Friday officially postponed President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing date for the 34 felonies for which a jury convicted the former president in May.

The command from Judge Juan Merchan, the indefinite postponement of a sentencing hearing that had been scheduled for next week was somewhat of a formality after New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday that would not object Trump’s motion to stay the criminal case during Trump’s upcoming tenure in the Oval Office.

Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors jointly asked for an adjournment on Nov. 12 as Bragg’s office determined how and if they would proceed after Trump’s election victory, which created an unprecedented situation for the court as Trump became the first convict to won the presidential election.

Legal experts have argued for decades that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.

Merchan also granted a request by Trump’s defense team to file a motion to dismiss the charges entirely. He set a Dec. 2 deadline for Trump’s brief to dismiss the case, with prosecutors’ response due a week later on Dec. 9. Bragg said Tuesday he would fight Trump’s attempt to dismiss the entire case.

A jury condemned Trump of falsifying business records, paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels to hide an alleged encounter. Trump tried to keep disclosure of the affair, which he denies took place, from voters during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Each of the 34 convictions is punishable by up to four years in state prison.

The case was the only one of four criminal prosecutions against Trump to go to trial in the nearly four years since he left the White House.

Jack Smith is the special counsel of the US Department of Justice liquidating the two federal cases against the president-elect, consistent with the department’s longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents. Smith is according to reports plans to resign before Trump takes office.

Last updated at 11:54, November 22, 2024