Jan. 8 (UPI) — Attorneys for President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block criminal sentencing in his hush-money case in New York set for Friday in Manhattan.
Trump is fighting to prevent his sentencing 34-count felony state conviction for falsifying business records until his appeal on presidential immunity can be heard. New York Judge Juan Merchan, who has overseen the case, ruled that immunity is not applicable in the case.
Supreme Court justices have asked New York prosecutors to respond to Trump’s pleadings by Thursday morning so they can rule before the scheduled sentencing.
“This court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent a grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government,” Trump’s lawyers said in their latest filing.
The appeal went to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is assigned to emergency matters coming from New York. She can either act on the application alone or refer it to the entire court for a vote.
Trump, the first former president convicted of a felony, has been able to successfully delay his sentencing for months with numerous legal moves.
A jury in May found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a payment she made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to hide an alleged affair, which Trump claims never took place.
