Judge Delays Ruling on Trump’s Presidential Immunity in Hush Money Case
Judge Juan M. Merchan has postponed a critical decision regarding presidential immunity in Donald Trump’s hush money trial until September 16. This decision comes just two days before Trump is scheduled for sentencing. The delay follows a request from Trump’s legal team for the judge to first consider their renewed motion for his recusal from the case.
Trump is expected to appear in court on September 18 for sentencing or other related proceedings. In May, a jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to hide a payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. The payment was purportedly made to prevent Daniels from going public with a story of a sexual encounter with Trump just before the 2016 election. Trump has denied Daniels’ claims and asserts that the case is politically motivated.
The Supreme Court has ruled to limit prosecutions of former presidents for their official acts. However, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office argues that this ruling does not apply to the hush money case, as it involves unofficial acts for which Trump is not immune.
This hush money case is one of four criminal prosecutions brought against Trump last year. A federal case accusing him of mishandling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago was dismissed, with the Justice Department appealing the decision. Other cases, involving federal and Georgia state charges related to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, are not expected to go to trial before the upcoming November election.
