
(ReliableNews.org) – A New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges in May. The Supreme Court recently reaffirmed that presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts. Trump’s attorneys want the guilty verdict in the New York case tossed and the judge has now delayed his sentencing.
On July 1, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Trump v. United States that presidents have immunity from criminal prosecutions for “official acts” while in office. The justices didn’t describe what those official acts were but they made it clear the immunity doesn’t cover personal criminal acts.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the majority. He stated presidents do not have immunity for “unofficial acts” and said not all of the actions a president takes while in office are “official.” Roberts stated, “The President is not above the law.”
After the high court issued the ruling, Trump’s attorneys sent a letter to Judge Juan Merchan and asked him to give them more time to argue the case should be tossed based on the SCOTUS ruling. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass filed a response saying prosecutors didn’t oppose the request.
The following day, Merchan informed prosecutors and the former president’s defense team that he was delaying sentencing.
The New York jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records to cover up payments to a former adult film star he allegedly had an affair with. The former president’s ex-attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Stephanie “Stormy Daniels” Clifford $130,000 to keep her quiet. Trump was convicted of telling his employees to lie about the reason for the reimbursement.
Although Trump was in the White House when he signed the reimbursement checks, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has argued it was a personal act. Before the New York trial, Trump tried to have the case moved to federal court but Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein rejected the motion, and wrote a decision stating the “evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely personal item of the president.”
Merchan scheduled the new sentencing hearing for September 18.
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