Manhattan Judge Considers Overturning Trump's Hush Money Conviction
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan will rule on whether to toss President-elect Donald Trump’s felony conviction relating to hush-money payments to adult star Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s impending decision will affect legal standing as he prepares to return to the White House.
The judge, who had postponed Trump’s sentencing until after the 2024 election, has until Tuesday to determine if the conviction should stand.
The decision comes after Trump’s legal team argued he should be shielded from specific legal proceedings under constitutional protections.
CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid, said Trump’s attorneys want the sentencing tossed together.
“They’re going to argue to the judge that the sentencing should never happen because now that Trump is president-elect,” Reid said on Wednesday night.
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“They will say that he is entitled to the same constitutional protections as a sitting president and should be protected from state actors, and in this case, state prosecutors.”
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Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records linked to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2-16 election.
Former prosecutor Neama Rahmani predicted Judge Merchan would be reluctant to impose a prison sentence on a sitting president.
“Merchan doesn’t have the stomach to imprison a former president or president-elect,” Rahmani stated.
“Now that Trump has won, his criminal problems go away.”
Meanwhile,e Trump’s legal team argued he deserves protections that would prevent state-level prosecutors
The dismissal of the conviction could set a precedent regarding legal immunity for president-elects
Trump’s lawyers say that pursuing the conviction would potentially conflict with executive privileges associated with his imminent presidency.
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