The United States Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency request from President-elect Donald Trump to postpone sentencing in his hush-money case.
The court, by a narrow 5-4 vote, dismissed the application to block Friday’s proceedings, even with three of the justices being Trump appointees.
In its brief, unsigned order, the court stated that the burden of sentencing on the President-elect’s responsibilities was “relatively insubstantial.” It also noted that Trump would be allowed to attend the sentencing virtually.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, has indicated that Trump would likely receive an “unconditional discharge”—a sentence that imposes no jail time, fines, or probation.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in Manhattan at 9:30 a.m. (1430 GMT) on Friday after being convicted in May by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
This conviction marks a historic moment, making Trump the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
At 78, Trump is also the first convicted felon set to serve as president when he takes office on January 20.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, thanking the court for its efforts to address the “great injustice” done to him while accusing Judge Merchan of being a “highly political and corrupt judge.”
Trump declared his innocence, calling the charges “made-up and fake,” and vowed to continue appealing the conviction.
Trump’s legal team had filed the emergency request on Wednesday, arguing that proceeding with sentencing would harm the presidency and disrupt government operations.
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They also contended that the immunity from prosecution granted to sitting presidents should extend to presidents-elect.
Four conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh—supported Trump’s request.
However, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in rejecting it.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg dismissed Trump’s claims, emphasizing that the former president was a private citizen when charged, tried, and convicted.
Bragg also argued that the Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction over a state court’s criminal trial proceedings and that delaying sentencing would be an extraordinary measure.
The Supreme Court clarified that Trump retains the right to appeal his conviction through New York’s state courts.
Meanwhile, Judge Merchan has reiterated that Trump’s likely sentence would not involve incarceration. He also allowed Trump to attend the sentencing virtually rather than in person.
Despite facing up to four years in prison, legal analysts had long predicted that Trump would avoid jail time, even before his recent electoral victory.
Trump was officially certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election on Monday, securing a political comeback four years after the Capitol riots following his 2020 defeat.
