Manhattan Judge Postpones Sentencing of Trump

UPDATE Nov 22, 2024 10:31 AM CST

The judge in Donald Trump's hush-money case has postponed sentencing originally scheduled to take place next week, reports ABC News. The move by Judge Juan Merchan isn't a big surprise: Prosecutors said earlier this week they were open to putting the case on hold until Trump serves out his second term. Merchan did not provide a timetable for the next hearing, but the defense has until Dec. 2 to submit a motion to dismiss the case entirely.

Nov 19, 2024 12:47 PM CST

New York prosecutors said Tuesday they'll oppose any effort to dismiss President-elect Trump's hush money conviction as his sentencing looms, but they expressed some openness to delaying the case until after his impending second term. In a court filing Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office said Trump's forthcoming presidency isn't grounds for dropping a case that was already tried, per the AP. But "given the need to balance competing constitutional interests," prosecutors said, "consideration must be given" to freezing the case until after he's out of office.

• The conviction: Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records to cover up a scheme to influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to a porn actor who said they'd had sex. Trump denies the allegations.
• What's next: Judge Juan M. Merchan will decide how to proceed, and he has not provided a timetable.
• The delay: The judge halted proceedings last week after Trump's lawyers urged him to dismiss the case "to avoid unconstitutional impediments" to the incoming president's ability to run the country. Sentencing had been scheduled for November 26.

(More President-elect Trump stories.)