Key Takeaway: Judge delays Trump's hush money sentencing to November 26, ensuring no criminal penalties before the election amid ongoing legal battles.
A New York judge has postponed the hush money sentencing of former President Donald Trump until November 26, effectively ensuring that Trump will face no criminal penalties until after the upcoming presidential election. This delay follows Trump's ongoing legal strategy of seeking postponements in multiple cases, with the hope that a return to the White House might put a halt to the prosecutions against him.
Trump has already managed to delay or derail three of his four criminal cases by focusing on pretrial motions. The latest decision offers him a similar outcome in his hush money case, which is the only one that has resulted in a guilty verdict to date.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the seven-week trial, initially planned to hand down Trump's sentence on September 18. However, he agreed to the delay after Trump's legal team argued that more time was necessary, citing the potential need to appeal if the judge did not overturn the 34-count conviction on the grounds of presidential immunity.
Merchan, in his decision, stated that postponing the sentencing would avoid influencing the November election and would prevent his ruling from being affected by the election’s outcome. “This case stands alone in the annals of American history, and I have been involved in it from its beginning—from arraignment to jury verdict and through many motions and other matters,” Merchan wrote. He also noted that if the case were to proceed, it would pose one of the most significant challenges a judge could face: sentencing a former president found guilty by a jury.
Trump's attempts to delay the trial were initially unsuccessful, with a federal judge rejecting his request to transfer the case to federal court, citing a lack of "good cause." However, when the Supreme Court expanded the scope of presidential immunity it gave Trump a new avenue to pursue delays.
After a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts related to falsifying business records connected to hush money payments during his 2016 campaign, Merchan had originally scheduled sentencing for July. At that time, Trump's lawyers did not contest the date. But following a Supreme Court decision granting former presidents presumptive immunity for official acts, Trump's team requested further postponements, arguing that certain evidence used in the trial should not have been allowed.
Judge Merchan moved the sentencing to September to allow Trump time to appeal the verdict. Although the hush money payments were primarily linked to activities before Trump assumed office, his defense team contended that the jury had been improperly exposed to social media posts from his presidency, a government ethics form, testimony from two former White House aides, and other protected materials.
The judge had planned to rule on the immunity arguments by September 16, potentially creating last-minute uncertainty leading up to the scheduled sentencing. Trump’s legal team insisted that the timeline was too tight, asserting that a single business day would be insufficient for the former president to adequately exercise his right to appeal and protect his future legal standing.
Merchan ultimately decided to postpone any decision on the immunity question until November 12, which also falls after the election. If the conviction stands, sentencing will proceed on November 26. Merchan reiterated that the court operates independently and without political bias, stating that the delay was meant to avoid any appearance that the court's actions were intended to benefit or harm any political party or candidate.
Prosecutors did not oppose the delay but highlighted the logistical challenges of preparing for a sentencing that might be canceled at the last minute.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office concluded by stating, "We defer to the court's judgment on the post-trial schedule, confident that justice will ultimately be served."Ta
