Judge Merchan will need to determine how to proceed with the Donald Trump case, which could include dismissing it altogether.
A New York judge handling Donald Trump’s hush money case has canceled the president-elect’s sentencing date, initially set for November 26th, as reported by Bloomberg and The Guardian. This decision comes in anticipation of an upcoming memo from prosecutors advising on the next steps.
In May, a jury of 12 New Yorkers found Trump guilty on all 34 felony charges. However, his sentencing has faced several delays due to ongoing developments in this unique criminal case. The process was notably disrupted in July when the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have extensive immunity from criminal prosecution.
Now, New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan faces the decision of whether to further postpone Donald Trump’s sentencing or dismiss the case altogether, as Trump is set to return to the White House in January.
The timing of this decision remains uncertain.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was anticipated to submit a brief advising Judge Merchan on Tuesday, but deadlines in the case have frequently been extended. Last week, Merchan chose to delay his decision on how to proceed, considering Trump’s recent election victory.
Meanwhile, the two federal criminal cases against Trump, led by special counsel Jack Smith, are nearing completion without going to trial, ahead of Smith’s expected resignation.
The New York criminal case focuses on a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election, intended to prevent her from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump.
At the time, Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, facilitated the payment on Trump’s behalf, with Trump subsequently reimbursing him over a year, labeling these transactions as legal services in business records.
Prosecutors successfully contended that these records were falsified to hide the true purpose of the reimbursement.
Trump has consistently denied having an affair with Daniels or committing any wrongdoing, instead characterizing the prosecution as a politically motivated witch hunt.
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