The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s request to halt criminal proceedings in his hush money case in New York. This decision allows a sentencing hearing, scheduled for Friday, to proceed as planned. Trump, who was convicted in May of falsifying business records related to payments made by his former attorney Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election, sought intervention from the court.
Trump's legal team contended that evidence presented at trial included official actions taken during his presidency, which they argued are protected under a recent Supreme Court ruling. They cautioned that the failure to intervene would cause "grave injustice and harm" to the presidency itself. However, the high court's brief unsigned order stated that the issues Trump wishes to contest can be "addressed in the ordinary course on appeal."
In a closely watched 5-4 decision, the court's liberal justices were joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, while four conservative justices dissented. The decision signals a shift in the conservative-majority court's stance, following two significant rulings in Trump's favor last year.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued against the Supreme Court's intervention, asserting that the case remains active in lower courts and thus falls outside the justices' purview at this stage. Meanwhile, Judge Juan Merchan previously indicated that the upcoming sentencing would not include any prison time for Trump.
As Trump prepares to assume the presidency on January 20, his legal team maintains that he possesses immunity until he is officially sworn in. A New York appeals court judge had also declined to block Trump's sentencing earlier this week.
The immunity ruling had already delivered a significant setback to the election interference prosecution spearheaded by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump's attorneys have been persistent in advocating their client's immunity status, a stance they continue to uphold as the sentencing hearing approaches.
