Donald Trump Handed Big Legal Win in New York Fraud Case

Judge Juan Merchan handed former President Donald Trump a big legal win on Friday, postponing the sentencing for his New York fraud conviction until after the 2024 presidential election.

Merchan announced in a four-page decision that sentencing would now be on November 26.

Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was tried in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to former adult film actor Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On May 30, a jury convicted him on all 34 counts.

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson and attorney for comment via email on Friday.

The former president has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He and his supporters have argued that the legal case in New York and all other prosecutions and legal actions against him are politically motivated. They say that these cases are an effort spearheaded by Democrats to undermine his presidential campaign.

“There is no good reason to postpone Trump’s sentencing any further. He won’t be sent straight to prison and will be allowed to appeal the ruling right away, so there is no threat of irreparable harm,” Dave Aronberg, the State Attorney for Palm Beach County, told Newsweek in a Friday email before Merchan’s decision.

“Trump can still appeal the decision like any other defendant. At some point, equal justice under the law has to mean something,” Aronberg said.

Trump could face up to four years in prison when he is sentenced. However, many legal experts believe the judge is more likely to sentence Trump to probation or a shorter jail sentence. Jailing a former president would create significant logistical challenges, as he is entitled to Secret Service protection for the rest of his life.

On August 29, Trump’s legal team sought to move the sentencing in the hush money case to federal court based on the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. Federal judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected the request on Tuesday. It was the second time that Hellerstein rejected Trump’s transfer request.

The judgment read: “Nothing in the Supreme Court’s opinion affects my previous conclusion that the hush money payments were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority.”