Judge Merchan Delays Trump Sentencing Until September

Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw former President Donald Trump’s business records trial, delayed sentencing for the former president until September.

In a letter on Tuesday, Merchan wrote that Trump’s sentencing date of July 11, was “vacated,” and rescheduled for September 18, 2024. This came after Trump’s lawyers sent a letter to Merchan requesting that his guilty verdict from a Manhattan jury on May 30 be tossed in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

“The July 11, 2024, sentencing date is therefore vacated,” Merchan wrote. “The Court’s decision will be tendered off-calendar on September 6, 2024 and the matter is adjourned to September 18, 2024, at 10:00 AM for the imposition of sentence, if such is still necessary, or other proceedings.”

Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15.

The former president was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first-degree related to payments made to adult entertainment actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision, ruling that presidents are covered by limited immunity from criminal prosecutions for official acts taken while in office.However, they do not have immunity for unofficial acts.

The Supreme Court held:

Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.

In response to Trump’s lawyers requesting to have the guilty verdict overturned in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office revealed that they were not against a delay in sentencing for Trump.