Trump's sentencing for N.Y. criminal conviction delayed
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Former President Trump during a June event in Washington, D.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Former President Trump's sentencing in his New York hush money case was pushed back as his lawyers seek to have his criminal conviction tossed, according to a Tuesday court filing obtained by MSNBC.
Why it matters: Trump is seizing on the Supreme Court's landmark immunity ruling on Monday to challenge his historic conviction before the planned sentencing date, originally scheduled for July 11.
- The court's decision about the conviction will be rendered on Sept. 6.
- The new sentencing date, Sept. 18 at 10am ET, will occur after the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be named the GOP presidential nominee.
The latest: A letter from lawyers with the Manhattan DA's office to Judge Juan Merchan Tuesday said that although prosecutors believe Trump's argument to be "without merit" they did not object to his legal team's motion.
- Trump's lawyers had requested a deadline of July 10 to file court documents in support of their motion and prosecutors have requested a July 24 deadline to file a response, per the DA's office letter.
- While Trump's lawyers claimed they didn't object to the July 11 sentencing date, their request to file a motion by July 10 "is necessarily a request to adjourn the sentencing hearing," the letter stated.
Yes, but: Overturning Trump's conviction in the Manhattan case could be a long shot because it concerns his actions as a candidate, rather than as president, notes the New York Times, which first reported the news.
Context: The Supreme Court ruled that the former president had immunity from criminal prosecution for "official acts" that were conducted while he was in the White House.
- The justices sent the case back to a lower court to determine whether Trump's alleged conduct in the Jan. 6 case is protected.
What they're saying: Will Scharf, an attorney who represents Trump in the immunity case, said on Monday evening that the high court's 6-3 ruling "absolutely" applies to the former president's N.Y. conviction.
- "The Supreme Court was very clear that for acts that fall within the outer perimeter of the president's official responsibilities, acts that are presumptively immune from prosecution, that evidence of those acts cannot be used to try essentially private acts," Scharf told CNN.
What we're watching: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to soon make a sentencing recommendation in the case that concerns a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter, which the former president denies.
- Representatives for Trump and Bragg did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
Go deeper: Debate, court rulings give Trump a summer bump
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details from a court filing.
Axios' April Rubin contributed to this story.
