Trump’s Sentencing in Hush Money Trial Is Delayed Until After Election Day

The decision by Justice Juan M. Merchan means voters will be left in the dark about whether the former president will face time behind bars.

The New York Times

The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s #criminal case in Manhattan postponed his sentencing until after #Election Day, a significant victory for #Trump as he seeks to overturn his #conviction & win back the White House.

In a ruling on Fri, the judge, Juan M. #Merchan, cited the “unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in” & rescheduled the sentencing for Nov 26.

#law #convict #felon #fraud #FalsifiedBusinessRecords #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #SCOTUS #immunity #FuckSCOTUS

#Merchan had previously planned to hand down Trump’s punishment on Sept 18, just 7 wks before #Election Day, when #Trump will face off against MVP #KamalaHarris for the presidency.
“This is not a decision this court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this court’s view, best advances the interests of #justice,” Justice Merchan wrote in the 4pg decision, which noted that “this matter is one that stands alone, in a unique place in this nation’s history.”

#criminal #law #convicted #felon

While the decision will avert a courtroom spectacle in the campaign’s final stretch, the #delay itself could still affect the #election, keeping #voters in the dark about whether #Trump will eventually spend time behind bars.
It is unclear whether sentencing Trump in Sept would have helped or harmed him politically;his punishment could have been an embarrassing reminder of his #criminal record, but could have also propelled his [#BS] claims [#lies] of political martyrdom.

#law #convicted #felon

Justice #Merchan’s decision came at the request of #Trump, who had asked to #delay the sentencing until after the #election, partly so he had more time to challenge his #conviction. Prosecutors working for the Manhattan DA, #AlvinBragg, who brought the case, had deferred to the judge, paving the way for at least a brief postponement.

#criminal #law #convict #felon #fraud #FalsifiedBusinessRecords #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #SCOTUS #immunity #FuckSCOTUS

The judge’s decision to push the proceeding is likely to infuriate Bragg’s liberal supporters & fuel accusations that #Trump is above the #law, shielded from the consequences of conviction, unlike any other #felon. To avoid that impression, left-leaning legal scholars — & Trump critics seeking catharsis — wanted Justice #Merchan to hold Trump accountable promptly after he was convicted in May of having #FalsifiedBusinessRecords to cover up a sex scandal.

#criminal #convict #HushMoney #SCOTUS

@Nonilex

Since elections are fueled best by outrage... it's probably smarter that it is left-leaning voters who are outraged by the lack of legal justice, and so will be more motivated for justice at the ballot box.

A prison sentence for what the right deems as a minor paperwork violation, would similarly fuel Trump voters to turn out to the ballot box to seek their own sense of justice.

@chiclet @Nonilex that’s certainly a glass half full view!

@JonChevreau @Nonilex

I prefer to think about dynamically flowing water, rather than a static glass.

The ideal outcome is not for a quick sentencing in NY, but a longer sentence of prison time, to take place AFTER federal trials for classified docs and trying to overturn the election. That way, when the next Republican president tries to pardon his federal crimes in 2029 or 2033, he'll just go straight to state prison.