The sentencing of Donald Trump in his Manhattan hush money criminal trial has been postponed until after the November election.
Judge Juan Merchan on Friday deferred sentencing until November 26, citing the “unique time frame of this case.”
Lawyers for Republican presidential candidate Trump have used a variety of legal tactics to delay sentencing, originally scheduled for September 18.
A New York jury convicted Trump in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, the first time a sitting or former president has been convicted.
In his decision, Judge Merchant wrote that the case required “a sentencing hearing focused entirely on the jury’s verdict.”
“Their sentences must be respected and dealt with in a way that is not diluted by the seriousness of the upcoming presidential election,” he said, setting sentencing for three weeks after the Nov. 5 election.
Trump could face up to four years in prison, but Judge Melchan also has the discretion to impose fines, probation or a short prison term.
Trump insists he did nothing wrong. After the ruling, he told Fox News that “this case should be over,” while his campaign said it was a “witch hunt.”
Prosecutors in the case accuse the former president of concealing a payment to silence former adult film star Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign.
Ms Daniels testified that she had a sexual relationship with Trump and accepted $130,000 (£99,000) from his former lawyer before the 2016 election in exchange for keeping silent about the encounter.
Prosecutors argued that Trump violated election laws by approving a plan to disguise the money as legal expenses.
Trump’s original sentencing date was July. His lawyers delayed the decision after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling granted the president a degree of immunity from criminal prosecution for “official conduct.”
Justice Merchan granted the extension so both sides could prepare arguments on the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on their cases.
A decision on the impact will be made on November 12.
Judge Murcha rejected some of the arguments put forward by Trump’s lawyers to delay the trial, calling them “unsubstantiated grievances… not worthy of this court’s attention.”
But in other cases, sentencing hearings are often delayed due to reasons including personal circumstances and scheduling conflicts, he wrote.
“Given the unique facts and circumstances of this case, there is no reason to treat the defendant any differently than other defendants,” Judge Melchan said.
He added that his postponement “should dispel any suggestion” that a decision taken by the court would be seen as endorsing “any candidate for any political party or for any office”.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is prosecuting the case, said his team “is ready to proceed with sentencing on the new date set by the court.”
