The defense requested the annulment of the judgment based on an earlier decision of the Supreme Court, which stated that former presidents are entitled to broad immunity related to acts committed in office.
In late May, a New York jury found Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying financial records in connection with payments to porn actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, for silence before the 2016 election. Trump thus became the first US ex-president to be found guilty in a criminal trial.
Trump said his prosecution was politically motivated and aimed at damaging his re-election campaign this year. He also asked for a postponement of determining the amount of the penalty. The judge was originally supposed to decide on the amount of the punishment before the November elections, but postponed the verdict in order to rule out any influence on the campaign.
The verdict on Trump will not be until 2029, the prosecutor’s office agrees
US elections
Trump’s lawyers also sought to overturn the May verdict based on a July Supreme Court ruling that said former presidents are entitled to broad immunity related to acts done in office.
New York judge Juan Merchan has now ruled that the jury’s May decision should not be overturned in light of the Supreme Court’s July decision regarding presidential immunity, The Washington Post wrote. According to the newspaper, the judge should separately decide whether to sentence Trump before taking office, after his term of office, or not at all.
Republican Trump defeated his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the November election and will take office on January 20. He was previously the head of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
He is no longer untouchable, said the porn actress about Trump
America
