Trump asks court to postpone sentencing ahead of inauguration

Trump pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

His lawyers said that filing an appeal should halt the criminal proceedings in his New York case.

The sentencing had been delayed repeatedly by the 2024 presidential election and Trump’s attempt to have the case thrown out based on a claim of presidential immunity. Justice Merchan ultimately rejected the immunity argument in December.

On 3 January, Justice Merchan issued an order saying he would move ahead with the sentencing before Trump took office, but wrote that he would not consider any sentence of incarceration.

He ordered Trump to appear virtually or in-person for the hearing.

“The American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an immediate end to the political weaponisation of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts,” said Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s presidential transition.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office plans to file a response with the court, a spokesperson said.

The weeks after the election featured a flurry of legal filings from both Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case, and Trump’s legal team.

Bragg’s office indicated that they would not oppose delaying Trump’s sentencing until after he finishes his term in office, four years from now.

But Justice Merchan wrote that “it is this court’s firm belief that only by bringing finality to this matter” will the legal quandaries at play be resolved.

However, the judge left the door open to the possibility that Trump would seek to appeal the sentencing, writing that he “must be permitted to avail himself of every available appeal”.