Judge in New York Schedules Trump's Sentencing Date for Hush Money Case
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Washington, Jan 4 (NationPress) Juan Merchan, a judge in New York overseeing the hush money case involving US President-elect Donald Trump, has determined that January 10 will be the date for sentencing. The sentencing is set for 9:30 AM at a courthouse located in Lower Manhattan, based on the judge's ruling on Friday.
Merchan has mandated that Trump must appear at the sentencing, either in person or virtually, with a preference indicated by January 5, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
There are no legal obstacles preventing the sentencing, and reaching a resolution in this matter is deemed beneficial for the jury, the defendant, and the plaintiff, according to the judge's decision.
Holding off on sentencing until Trump finishes his second presidential term is considered less favorable than executing the sentence before January 20, the date when Trump is slated to assume the presidency again, the judge noted.
Previously, Merchan had agreed to postpone the sentencing indefinitely, which was initially set for November 26, 2024.
The state judge in the hush money case against President-Elect Donald Trump upheld his conviction, dismissing Trump's claim that a Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity was applicable to this situation.
This ruling casts a shadow of a criminal conviction over Trump as he prepares to take office next month. The judge remarked that the Supreme Court ruling only pertains to Trump's official actions, not his personal behavior.
However, Merchan had previously consented to an indefinite postponement of sentencing in the case for which Trump was convicted of falsifying business records, because the hush money payments made to a porn star were characterized as legal expenses.
The payments were made through Trump's attorney to ensure the porn star remained silent about her allegations of an affair with him, with each check being registered as separate offenses, implying that Trump faced a total of 34 charges.
The case was initiated by a local prosecutor, who was elected on a Democratic Party ticket in New York.
In May 2024, a jury in New York found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal hush money payments to a porn star in 2016, with the original sentencing date set for July 11, 2024.
