Trump will not be sentenced in July, but will be sentenced on 34 felonies in September, during the heart of the fall campaign.
ABC News:
On Monday, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that Trump enjoys partial immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he took to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Trump’s lawyers wrote to Judge Merchant, Asking him to “set aside the jury verdict” in his hush money case.
In his response, Judge Murcha told both sides that he would rule on Trump’s motion to vacate his conviction on September 6.
He gave Trump until July 10 to submit documents and the district attorney’s office until July 24 to respond.
Sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11, just days before Trump won the Republican nomination. Merchan has now been scheduled for sentencing on September 18 at 10 a.m. ET.
On the surface, the delay appears to be a victory for Trump, as the country has become accustomed to seeing delays in the former president’s criminal proceedings as a victory for the convicted.
However, with polls showing that felony convictions hurt Trump’s influence among independents and swing voters, if the sentencing ends before the party convention in July and people don’t notice, their attention is focused on the summer. The former president might get better results.
When voters take notice and prepare to cast their ballots, Trump will likely find himself in a Manhattan courtroom being sentenced for his felonies. Trump likely won’t succeed in overturning the conviction because his actions occurred before he was president.
Donald Trump will dominate the national stage alone, eight days after the second presidential debate.
It’s not an ideal schedule, and in a very close election, it could be a critical turning point in the race to determine who becomes the next president.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press corps and a congressional reporter for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, particularly social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of Society of Professional Journalists and American Political Science Association
