Trump petitions Supreme Court to halt New York hush money sentencing

President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to block criminal proceedings in his hush money case in New York, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for Friday. Trump’s lawyers argue that he is protected by presidential immunity, as recognized by the Supreme Court earlier this year. They believe the case should be dismissed immediately to prevent harm to the presidency and the federal government. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has not responded to the request. Trump was convicted in May of falsifying records related to hush money paid to Stormy Daniels by his then-attorney Michael Cohen in 2016. The case also involves evidence related to official actions taken by Trump while in the White House. The judge initially postponed Trump’s sentencing in July following a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, but later concluded that Trump does not have immunity until he is sworn in as president. The Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity came in a separate case involving Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which was dropped. Trump’s request to block the New York proceedings was filed by his future solicitor general and deputy attorney general. The Supreme Court has asked New York prosecutors to respond by Thursday morning, giving the justices time to act before Friday’s sentencing.

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