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A New York appeals court judge has denied President-elect Donald Trump's request to delay his sentencing in the hush money case scheduled for Friday (January 10). Judge Ellen Gesmer rejected Trump's emergency request for a stay following a brief hearing on Tuesday (January 7). Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, argued that Trump should be protected by presidential immunity, citing the Supreme Court's recent decision on presidential immunity as a basis for halting the proceedings. However, Gesmer found no precedent for extending presidential immunity to a president-elect.
Steven Wu, representing the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, argued that the sentencing, which is expected to last about an hour, would not interfere with Trump's presidential transition. Wu emphasized that the concept of presidential immunity does not apply to a president-elect, as there is only one sitting president at a time.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from speaking about an alleged affair before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affair.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, has indicated that he plans to give Trump an unconditional discharge, meaning the conviction would stand without any punishment. Despite this, Trump's legal team continues to challenge the conviction, arguing it should be dismissed due to presidential immunity.
Trump's sentencing remains set for Friday, though his lawyers may pursue further legal avenues to delay the proceedings. If the sentencing does not occur before Trump is sworn in on January 20, presidential immunity could potentially postpone it until he leaves office.