Donald Trump received additional good news on Tuesday, July 2, when the judge in his Manhattan criminal case agreed to postpone his sentencing hearing, which was previously planned for July 11.
In a document, New York Judge Juan Merchan stated that the court will reconvene on September 18 “for the imposition of sentence, if such is still necessary.”
The disruption in Trump’s case occurs as the former president fights to overturn his 34 criminal charges, which were handed down by a Manhattan jury on May 30. He was convicted of falsifying corporate records to conceal a plot to rig the 2016 presidential election, which he won against Hillary Clinton.
On Monday, July 1, Trump’s legal team issued a letter to Judge Merchan arguing that a new Supreme Court rule on presidential immunity should overturn his convictions. They requested that Trump’s punishment be postponed while the legality of his trial is determined.
Earlier on July 1, the Supreme Court issued a major decision declaring that Trump and past US presidents enjoy ultimate immunity from prosecution for “official” activities committed during their White House term.
“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official,” the Supreme Court stated in its ruling. “But under our system of separated powers, the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts.”
The court also ruled that official conduct cannot be used against presidents as evidence of other crimes, which was the basis for Trump’s lawsuit.
Though the Manhattan criminal trial focused on Trump’s personal finances as a political candidate, which are not shielded by presidential privilege, Trump’s defense team alleges that prosecutors used some official conduct to persuade the jury that he was guilty.
On July 2, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced that, while it disagrees with Trump’s claim that his convictions should be overturned, it will not oppose the defense team’s plea to postpone his sentence.
Judge Merchan stated that he will publish his judgment on whether to overturn the verdict on September 6.
Source: PEOPLE
