The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case ruled on Friday to delay sentencing indefinitely, granting a legal victory to the former president as he prepares for his return to the White House.
Trump, who was convicted in May on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to conceal an alleged sexual encounter with a porn star during the 2016 election campaign, was set to be sentenced on November 26.
However, his legal team had argued that no sentencing should occur before his potential inauguration in January.
Judge Juan Merchan agreed with Trump’s lawyers, issuing an order that the sentencing be postponed indefinitely.
The ruling allows Trump to seek further legal motions, including a request to have the conviction overturned.
Trump’s defense team has invoked a landmark Supreme Court ruling that grants presidents broad immunity from prosecution for official actions during their time in office, citing this as grounds to dismiss the case.
In another significant move, Trump’s legal team also received permission from the judge to file a motion to dismiss the charges, a process that is expected to involve multiple hearings, which may be delayed once Trump is sworn in.
Separately, in a related 2020 election interference case, Special Counsel Jack Smith has moved to vacate deadlines, postponing that case indefinitely in accordance with the Department of Justice’s longstanding policy of refraining from prosecuting sitting presidents.
Trump, who has consistently called the hush money case a politically motivated “witch hunt,” faces other ongoing legal challenges, including cases related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and the alleged mishandling of classified documents. Despite these legal battles, Trump’s ability to potentially intervene as president could influence the outcome of these cases.
Trump’s former Attorney General, Bill Barr has criticized the prosecutions as politically motivated, stating that they have been extensively discussed and dismissed in the court of public opinion.
