The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to grant President-elect Donald Trump’s request to halt proceedings in his New York criminal hush money case. In a narrow 5-4 decision, the Court’s ruling effectively allows the legal process to move forward as scheduled, including an impending sentencing hearing slated for Friday morning.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the Court's liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—in the majority decision. The ruling came just hours after New York state's highest appeals court also denied Trump's appeal to delay his sentencing.
Trump faces serious charges stemming from a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election. In May, a Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records linked to this transaction. Judge Juan Merchan of the New York trial court previously dismissed Trump's claims of immunity from prosecution.
Trump's legal team contended that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office had overstepped by utilizing evidence related to his official duties as president during the trial. They argued that this violated Trump's presidential immunity privileges. The Supreme Court had previously expanded the concept of presidential immunity last July, ruling that former presidents have "presumptive immunity" for all official acts conducted while in office.
In a dissenting opinion, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh expressed support for granting Trump's request for an emergency stay of proceedings. The dissenting justices cited concerns that delaying the case would allow Trump the opportunity to appeal the guilty verdicts effectively.
"We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and indeed, I was not even aware at the time of our conversation that such an application would be filed."
— Samuel Alito
Prosecutors under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg responded earlier Thursday, asserting that "there is no basis" for the Supreme Court to intervene in the ongoing case. They highlighted that both a New York appeals court and the state's highest court had already ruled against Trump's attempts to pause the proceedings.
As it stands, sentencing is anticipated to take place on Friday morning, where Judge Merchan is expected to impose a sentence characterized as "unconditional discharge," meaning that it will not include any actual punishment. Trump's attorneys emphasized the need for all further legal actions to be halted while they pursue an appeal against the guilty verdicts.
"It is essential to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government."
— Trump's attorneys
As this high-profile case unfolds, it continues to attract significant public interest and scrutiny. The implications of the Supreme Court's decision could have lasting effects not only on Trump but also on how presidential immunity is interpreted in future legal matters.