A New York judge ruled Friday that President-elect Donald Trump will return to the courthouse before he returns to the White House.
Justice Juan Marchan will sentence Trump for his crimes on January 10, a court proceeding that will be unlike any in America's 248 years. Trump sentenced in New York stems from a $130,000 so-called “hush money” payment His then-lawyer Michael Cohen met with adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Justice Juan Merchan's decision ends two months of speculation – and back and forth by jockeying Trump's lawyer And Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecutor – following Trump narrow election victory On 5th November.
Trump becomes the first ever former President convicted of crimes In May, when a A unanimous jury found him guilty In the New York case. Sentencing in the case was stalled for months as Trump campaigned for a return to the presidency. In November, he became the first person voted into the White House after a criminal conviction.
Trump had argued in his motion to dismiss that vacating his conviction was essential to his ascension to the White House. Marchen said Friday that did not happen.
“This Court finds that neither vacating the jury's verdict nor dismissing the indictment is necessary under the presidential immunity doctrine, the Presidential Transition Act, or the Supremacy Clause,” Marchan wrote in his order Friday.
Trump's lawyers claimed that constitutional demands on a president-elect “superseded” the jury verdict and the ongoing proceedings in the case.
Bragg's office argued that the judge had several options, including “novel” options, to balance the interests of justice with the unprecedented circumstance of a convicted defendant being elected to the presidency before sentencing. Their suggestions included postponing the proceedings until after Trump's term in office and even ending the case and its proceedings with a note that the verdict had not been overturned.
Trump's conviction carries a sentence of up to four years in prison, but there are several alternatives to prison, including probation and fines.
Merchan's decision is the latest in a series of landmark initiatives set by this case. impeachment of trump In March 2023, he became the first former president in US history to face criminal charges. he was under a seven week trial This spring, that occurred during the Republican presidential primaries.
Inside the courtroom, Trump grumbled quietly, but often leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed as more than 20 witnesses were questioned by prosecutors and lawyers. Sometimes his head bowed downwards, as if he apparently dozed offIn the hallway just outside the courtroom — surrounded by a roving crowd of Republican aides, lawyers and Secret Service agents — Trump fretted about the case while canvassing a barrage of press cameras.
At times, his dual commitments to the court and the camera caused trouble. merchant Trump faced contempt 10 times For violating a gag order barring public statements about potential jurors, witnesses and others.
witness, beginning Former National Enquirer publisher David PeckerAt the heart of the matter two schemes have been described. The first scheme was created by Trump, Pecker and former lawyer Michael Cohen to “capture” stories or allegations that could harm Trump's 2016 presidential candidacy by paying people in exchange for non-disclosure agreements. Could “kill” them. Pekar and others described three such arrangements, known as “hush money” payments.
A few days before the elections, Cohen paid $130,000 Adult film star Stormy Daniels – Also a witness in the trial – in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. He and another witness described Relief for Trump Voters did not learn about the story before the election.
Cohen also described an arrangement in which he was secretly reimbursed for payments made to Daniels. The jury concluded that Trump, while president in 2017, authorized a scheme to falsify business records to conceal Cohen's repayments. That plan ultimately involved 34 fake records The deal involved monthly installments portrayed as payment for ongoing legal services, when they were actually Cohen's reimbursement for Daniels payments.
The jury took less than two days to reach its verdict. Trump, who repeatedly glared at his fellow jury during the trial, did not make eye contact with them during the sentencing.
When the head of the jury convicted Trump 34 times, he looked straight ahead, and Merchan thanked the jury for their service before allowing him to leave the room.
After Merchan himself exited, Trump stood up, frowning deeply, and briefly held his son Eric's hand.
Trump led his entourage out of the courtroom, huddled with his lawyers for a moment and then addressed the cameras, awaiting their response.
He declared his innocence, rallied against the case, and returned to his campaign for the presidency.