Former President Donald Trump's legal team is seeking to have his New York hush money case conviction overturned and the case dismissed following a recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Trump's lawyers argue that prosecutors rushed to trial him in the spring before the Supreme Court had ruled on his immunity claims. Trump was convicted in May of falsifying records to conceal a potential sex scandal, becoming the first ex-president to be convicted of a crime.
Trump's lawyers have urged the judge to address what they perceive as injustices in the case in light of the Supreme Court's decision. The judge is expected to rule on the defense's requests on September 6 and potentially sentence Trump on September 18, pending further developments. Prosecutors have until July 24 to respond to the defense's arguments.
The Supreme Court's ruling granted broad immunity protections to presidents for official acts and limited prosecutors from using official acts as evidence to prove unofficial actions violated the law. Trump's lawyers argue that certain evidence presented during the trial, including conversations with White House staff and tweets sent while in office, should not have been allowed.
Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and plans to appeal the conviction once sentenced.
The ongoing legal battle has delayed Trump's potential sentencing, sparing him from immediate punishment just before the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to be nominated as the party's presidential candidate. If sentenced to jail time, Trump could remain free pending appeal, as presidential pardons do not apply to state-level charges.
