Trump asks the Supreme Court to block sentencing in his New York hush money case

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on January 07, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo credit Scott Olson/Getty Images

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to call off Friday's sentencing in his hush money case in New York.

Trump's lawyers turned to the nation's highest court Wednesday after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by Juan M. Merchan, the judge who presided over Trump's trial and conviction last May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump's attorneys asked for an immediate stay of Friday's sentencing “to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government."

The Supreme Court asked for a response from New York prosecutors by Thursday.

Merchan has indicated he will not impose jail time, fines or probation.

Trump’s attorneys have pointed to the Supreme Court’s ruling giving him broad immunity from criminal prosecution as they tried to have his New York conviction tossed out.

While that opinion came in a different case, Trump’s lawyers say it means some of the evidence used against him in his hush money trial should have been shielded by presidential immunity. Merchan has disagreed.

(© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images