7th January, 2025
In a high-stakes courtroom drama, a New York appeals court judge has swiftly denied President-elect Donald Trump’s request to postpone his sentencing in the hush money case, setting the stage for a climactic hearing this Friday.
Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer delivered her ruling just hours after Trump’s legal team presented their arguments, rejecting his plea to delay the proceedings while he appeals his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The CNN reports that Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche—poised to become deputy attorney general in Trump’s incoming administration—called the situation “unprecedented” and argued that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity grants Trump constitutional protection.
Blanche pressed the court to halt the sentencing until the appeal is resolved, citing the novel implications of applying presidential immunity to a president-elect.
“There’s no precedent for this, because there’s never been a case like this,” Blanche admitted when questioned by Justice Gesmer.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, led by Chief of Appeals Steven Wu, countered that Trump’s legal team failed to demonstrate how a brief sentencing hearing would disrupt his responsibilities as president-elect.
Wu reminded the court, “The sentencing has to happen at some point, right?”
The appeal follows Judge Juan Merchan’s earlier rejection of Trump’s arguments to vacate the conviction.
Trump’s team claims the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision and his newly elected status should nullify the case.
However, Merchan remained unconvinced, scheduling the Friday hearing while signalling that no punishment would likely be imposed.