President-elect Donald Trump has just called upon the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and postpone his sentencing, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 10, on charges related to the hush money case involving porn star Stormy Daniels.
The appeal to the Supreme Court by Trump comes a day after a New York state appeals court rejected his requests to halt the court proceedings and postpone the sentencing.
As a matter of fact, Trump’s legal team argued this request on the grounds that presidential immunities for criminal prosecutions extend during the presidential transition period and that sentencing the president-elect 10 days before his inauguration as president would not benefit an already highly polarized political environment.
“This Court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government,” Trump’s attorneys claimed in the filing.
The New York judge, Juan Merchan, set to sentence Trump on Friday has indicated that he does not intend to impose a jail sentence and will allow Trump to attend the proceedings virtually. He also explained that there is “no legal impediment” to impose a sentence before the inauguration day.
However, Trump’s legal team contends that the proceedings will ultimately create “burdens, disruptions, stigma, and distractions” as he fulfills his responsibilities as president-elect.
