Trump's Lawyers Ask That Friday's Sentencing Be Halted

President-elect Trump's lawyers asked a judge Monday to halt this week's sentencing in his hush money case while they appeal his recent rulings upholding the verdict. Trump's lawyers said they plan to ask a state appeals court to reverse Judge Juan Merchan's Friday decision, which set the case for sentencing this Friday—just 10 days before he's sworn in for his second term, reports the AP. In a pair of rulings in recent weeks, Merchan rejected Trump's bid to throw out the verdict and dismiss the indictment on presidential immunity grounds and because of his impending return to the White House. More:

• Friday's decision: The judge signaled he is not likely to sentence Trump to any punishment for his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. (The judge indicated he favors an unconditional discharge for Trump, in which he would be a convicted felon but experience no other punishment, per NBC News.) Acknowledging the demands of the presidential transition process, Merchan had given Trump the option to attend in person or appear virtually by video.
• Lawyers' perspective: Trump's lawyers argued in court papers Monday that their planned appeal to the Appellate Division of the state's trial court triggers what's known as an automatic stay, or pause, in the proceedings. If that doesn't happen, they argued, Merchan should then grant a pause and prevent sentencing from happening on Friday as scheduled. The Hill reports the lawyers asked Merchan to notify the parties involved by 2pm EST Monday whether he will ax Friday's sentencing.

• Standout quote: "Today, President Trump's legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan DA's Witch Hunt," Trump rep Steven Cheung said. "The Supreme Court's historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed."

(More Trump hush-money trial stories.)