Donald Trump will become the first convicted felon to be sworn in as US president after finally learning his fate in the New York hush money case involving porn star Stormy Daniels.
Judge Juan Merchan sentenced the president-elect to unconditional dismissal on Friday, completing his criminal conviction of 34 crimes and falsifying company records from his trial in May.
The decision means that Trump will not face jail time and will not have to pay a large fine or probation.
However, the move means he will be the first US president the White House lists as a convicted felon when he is sworn in in 10 days.
Judge Merchan said his sentence is out of respect for the principle of presidential immunity, which will take effect after the inauguration on January 20.
The lighter sentence has been imposed on low-level offenders in New York, including lawyers who haven’t paid taxes, speeding drivers and trespassers.
Trump was forced to attend his sentencing hearing on Friday despite persistent efforts by his legal team to block or delay the hearing, including a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court.
President-elect Trump appeared virtually before New York State Judge Juan Merchan on Friday for his sentencing1
Trump’s conviction finalizes his status as a convicted felon and will make him the first president in US history to enter the White House with a criminal conviction
The Court ultimately rejected the request Thursday evening in a 5-4 ruling, finding that convicting Trump would not be an insurmountable burden if he takes back the White House, and noting that Judge Juan Merchan has indicated that he would not recommend the new president would result in a prison sentence. , fines or probation.
“First, the alleged evidentiary violations at the trial of President-elect Trump may be addressed in the ordinary course of appeal,” the unsigned ruling said.
“Second, the burden that the conviction will place on the responsibilities of the president-elect is relatively insurmountable in light of the court’s stated intention to impose a penalty of ‘unconditional dismissal’ after a brief virtual hearing.”
Among those who supported the decision were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would have stayed sentencing, the order said.
Reacting to the news Thursday evening, Trump called the Supreme Court’s ruling a “fair decision” but vowed to appeal the case.
The 78-year-old appeared pleased with the decision, even though conservative Justices Amy Coney Barrett — whom he appointed to the court — and Chief Justice John Roberts sided with liberals who supported the decision.
Still, the new president criticized the ruling, while insulting Merchan.
“I am innocent of all judge-made, false charges,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump was convicted in May of 34 crimes related to hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels after a seven-week trial. His conviction completes his status as a convicted felon and will make him the first president in US history to enter the White House with a criminal conviction
He denounced the decision in a post on his Truth Social platform Thursday evening
He added that he appreciated “the time and effort of the United States Supreme Court in its effort to undo the great injustice done to me.”
Trump then repeated the message Thursday evening at a news conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“We’re going to appeal anyway, just psychologically, because quite frankly it’s a disgrace,” he said, although he noted that he found a silver lining in reading the Supreme Court’s ruling.
‘I read it and I actually thought it was a fair decision, so I’m going to do my thing tomorrow. They can have fun with their little political opponent,” he said, attempting to portray the judge as politically motivated.
‘I read it and I actually thought it was a fair decision, so I’m going to do my thing tomorrow. They can have fun with their little political opponent,” he said, attempting to portray the judge as politically motivated.
Trump’s legal team, led by attorney Todd Blanche, who was tapped for a top job at the Justice Department, had argued that Trump should be spared a conviction based on the court’s monumental presidential immunity decision last summer .
In their filing Wednesday, his lawyers asked to halt the proceedings, claiming the conviction would “cause serious injustice and damage the institution of the presidency and the activities of the federal government.”
The Supreme Court asked Manhattan prosecutors to respond to Trump’s request Thursday morning. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the office planned to respond in lawsuits, which later revealed that prosecutors urged the Supreme Court to allow the proceedings to proceed.
Trump’s plea to the Supreme Court came a day after an appeals court denied his request for a stay of Friday’s sentencing. He had also asked Judge Merchan to defer sentencing pending his appeal.
The New York Court of Appeals denied the request on Tuesday, with Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer of the Appellate Division issuing a one-line ruling: “After review of the filed papers and extensive oral arguments, (Trump’s) application for a temporary stay is denied .’
The president-elect – who will be sworn in next week – was convicted by a New York jury last year on 34 charges of falsifying corporate records in a trial that included testimony from former Trump ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen and porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual affair with Trump. Trump denies the affair.
He had successfully postponed his sentencing until after the November election, but the denial by the New York Court of Appeals marked his third failed attempt to block proceedings in the case.
Judge Merchan had indicated he might not impose a prison sentence or even a fine — though that didn’t stop Trump from going after the judge during a wide-ranging news conference.
Judge Juan Merchan on Monday rejected the new president’s request to postpone the case
Trump’s lawyers filed a 500-page appeal Tuesday morning
“We have a judge in New York, a very corrupt judge, I have a gag order. I can’t even talk about aspects of the case that are the most vital aspects,” Trump, 78, complained at Mar-a-Lago during an event.
Merchan said he would move forward regardless, saying the arguments made by his legal teams were mostly “a repetition of the arguments he has made numerous times in the past.”
He has said he is unlikely to send Trump to prison and may give him a conditional discharge.
But even that outcome would leave Trump with the permanent stain of being the first president to be a convicted felon when he is sworn in on January 20.
Merchan noted last month that the The evidence presented at the trial earlier this year was “entirely related to unofficial conduct” and therefore did not amount to official actions as president.