NEW YORK—In a move that protracts the Manhattan criminal case against former President Donald Trump, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has agreed to delay sentencing in his hush money trial verdict once again. Sentencing was scheduled for September 18, but will now take place November 26—weeks after the election.
Trump's attorneys last month pressed the court to delay sentencing until after the 2024 presidential election.
Being less than 60 days away, Merchan thought it to be prudent to adjourn sentencing once again in a bid to ensure the independence and apolitical nature of the court and to prove that Trump's sentencing isn't a political hitjob.
"Unfortunately, we are now at a place in time that is fraught with complexities rendering the requirements of a sentencing hearing, should one be necessary, difficult to execute," writes Merchan in a four-page order issued Friday.
"This is not a decision this court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this Court's view, best advances the interests of justice," ordered Merchan.
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a conspiracy to cover up an affair he had with AVN Hall of Famer Stormy Daniels in 2006.
He was convicted on May 31. Sentencing was expected over the summer but was delayed partly for Merchan to consider the implication of a controversial ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court handed down in a separate federal criminal case against Trump that greatly expanded presidential immunity protections to cover most official acts.
Merchan adjourned at that time to consider the ruling and the prosecutors' and defense arguments. Defense lawyers for Trump argued in filings made in July and August that he was immunized from certain elements in the Manhattan District Attorney's case against him under the Supreme Court's broad expansion of presidential immunity.
This includes the use of evidence and former White House officials who testified to speak to Trump's blending of the criminal conspiracy with his personal affairs.
It is the position of the prosecution that the immunity ruling doesn't apply and that they had a strong case against Trump without the use of evidence and testimony that would cross into the realm of him serving in his official capacity as president of the United States.
The theory among legal pundits and reporters is that Trump committed these crimes in his personal capacity, not his official capacity.
Trump posted on his Truth Social account to millions of his followers, “The Manhattan D.A. Witch Hunt has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was no case, I did nothing wrong!"
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, stated to several news outlets, "A jury of 12 New Yorkers swiftly and unanimously convicted Donald Trump of 34 felony counts. The Manhattan D.A.'s Office stands ready for sentencing on the new date set by the court."
Merchan's order comes days after a federal district judge declined another attempt by Trump's defense team to remove the case from state court and bring it to federal court.
AVN has reported extensively on Trump's criminal trial involving Stormy Daniels.
Trump is running for his second term at the White House alongside anti-porn U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on the Republican Party's ticket.
Both are up against Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on the Democrat Party's ticket.
