President-elect Trump He is expected to be sentenced Friday after being found guilty of falsifying business records charges stemming from a years-long investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The president-elect is expected to attend the sentencing session virtually, after fighting to obstruct the process all the way to the United States. supreme court this week.
Judge Juan Merchan scheduled Trump's sentencing for January 10, just ten days before he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
Trump files motion to stay 'unlawful ruling' in New York case
But Merchan said he would not sentence the president-elect to prison.
From left to right: Judge Juan Merchan, former President Donald Trump, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)
Merchan wrote in his decision that he was unlikely to “impose any prison sentence,” but rather a sentence of “unconditional release,” meaning no sentence would be imposed.
Trump filed an appeal to block the ruling from going forward with the New York State Court of Appeals. That court rejected his request.
Trump also filed an emergency motion with the US Supreme Court, arguing that it “immediately order a stay of the criminal proceedings pending in the Superior Court of New York County, New York, pending the final determination of President Trump's preliminary appeal raising questions about presidential immunity.” “Including in this court if necessary.”
“The court shall also, if necessary, enter a temporary administrative stay while it considers this stay request,” Trump’s order said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at the trial of Danielle Penny after a lunch break at the Manhattan Supreme Court Building in New York City on Monday, December 2, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
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Trump's lawyers also argued that New York prosecutors wrongly admitted extensive evidence related to official presidential acts during the trial, ignoring the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity.
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that presidents are immune from prosecution for official presidential acts.
But New York prosecutors said the Supreme Court “lacks jurisdiction” in the case.
Trump has previously articulated a strategic element to his one-bill reconciliation approach. (Getty Images)
They also argued that the evidence they presented at trial last year concerned “casual conduct not subject to any immunity”.
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Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty to those charges. After an unprecedented six-week trial of a former president and presidential candidate, a New York jury has found the now president-elect guilty on all counts.
Trump has insisted on his innocence in the case and repeatedly criticized it as an example of the “lawfare” promoted by Democrats in an attempt to harm his electoral efforts before November.
