Donald Trump is asking the nation’s highest court (the Supreme Court) to stop his sentencing in a New York criminal case. This case is about money that was paid to keep someone quiet before an election.
Trump’s lawyers filed papers with the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking them to step in. The Supreme Court has asked prosecutors to respond by Thursday morning, showing they might make a quick decision. Trump is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Friday in Manhattan.
A New York jury found Trump guilty of hiding a $130,000 payment. This payment was made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actor. The payment was meant to keep Daniels quiet about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump says this encounter never happened and denies doing anything wrong.
Read Also: Trump wants court to postpone hush money case judgement till after his inauguration
This case is particularly significant because Trump became the first U.S. president (current or former) to face criminal charges, and he also became the first to be found guilty of a crime.
Looking ahead, the judge, Juan Merchan, has said he probably won’t send Trump to jail. Instead, Trump would likely just have the conviction on his record without any other punishment. However, Trump’s lawyers are still trying to get the case thrown out. They’re pointing to a Supreme Court decision from July 1 that gave former presidents some protection from criminal charges for things they did while in office.
The legal battle continues, with Trump’s team arguing the case should be dismissed while prosecutors prepare to respond in court.
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