New York’s highest appeals court refuses to block Trump’s conviction in hush money case
New York’s highest court on Thursday refused to block Donald Trump’s upcoming sentencing in his hush money case, leaving the US Supreme Court as the president-elect’s potential last resort to block a hearing scheduled for Friday.
A judge at the New York Court of Appeals issued a letter order refusing to allow Trump’s legal team a hearing.
Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Friday’s sentence. His lawyers turned to the nation’s highest court on Wednesday after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan, who overturned Trump’s trial last May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and Presided over the punishment. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
In a petition filed in New York’s top court, Trump’s lawyers said both Merchen and the state’s mid-level appellate court “erroneously failed” to block the conviction, arguing that the Constitution requires an automatic stay. Because they appeal against the decision of the judge who upheld the verdict. ,
While Merchan has indicated that he would not impose a prison sentence, fines or probation, Trump’s lawyers argued that a felony conviction would still have intolerable side effects, including distracting him as he prepares to take office. Have been.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the Manhattan trial violates a Supreme Court ruling last summer that gave Trump broad immunity from prosecution over actions he took as president. At a minimum, he has said, sentencing should be delayed while his appeals proceed on the issue of immunity.
Judges in New York have found that Trump’s conviction related to personal matters rather than official acts.
Trump’s lawyers described the case as politically motivated, and said the conviction threatened to hinder the Republican’s presidential transition as he prepares to return to the presidency on January 20.
Punishing Trump now would be a “grave injustice,” his lawyer, D. John Sawyer, wrote. Sawyer is also Trump’s choice to become Solicitor General, who represents the government before the high court.
The emergency proposal was submitted to Justice Sonia Sotomayor at the US Supreme Court, who hears emergency appeals from New York.
