New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan issued an order Friday that indefinitely postpones President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. The order states that the court will grant a stay of sentencing, agreed to by both Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but it remains unclear if the case will now be entirely dismissed.
Trump was originally found guilty of 34 felonies related to concealing payments to Daniels, an adult film actress with whom he had an alleged sexual encounter. However, due to his status as a presidential candidate and the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity, his sentencing was delayed until after Election Day. Now that Trump is set to assume the presidency in January, legal rules and norms prevent a sentencing that would inhibit the head of state and government from carrying out the duties of his office.
If the case is not dismissed, the earliest Trump could now be sentenced is in January 2029, after he leaves office. But his legal team is attempting to toss the conviction entirely, a move that Bragg has opposed. Merchan ordered Trump to file a formal motion asking for dismissal by Dec. 2 and for Bragg to respond by Dec. 9.
The May 2024 convictions in his New York case marked the first time that an former president has been convicted of a felony. In January, he is also set to be the first sitting president to be bear the dubious honor.
