On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan postponed the sentencing of 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in the falsified business records case until after the November election. The sentencing, initially set for September 18, has been rescheduled to November 26.
In May, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records for misclassifying payments made to his then-attorney Michael Cohen as legal fees in bookkeeping records. The original sentencing date for Trump was July 11, but it was pushed back following the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, which clarified that immunity applies only to official acts and not unofficial ones.
Judge Merchan’s court order stated, “It is hereby ordered, that decision on Defendant’s CPL § 330.30 motion to set aside the jury verdict and to dismiss the indictment will be handed down off-calendar on November 12, 2024, and it is further ordered, that sentencing on this matter, if necessary, is adjourned to November 26, 2024, at 10 am.”
This case is the latest to experience delays pushing proceedings until after the election. The Georgia election case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been delayed, with a December hearing scheduled to decide whether she will continue on the case.
The Mar-a-Lago documents case was dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment violated “the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.”
Smith has appealed the decision. The January 6 case, also led by Smith, is unlikely to go to trial before the election due to the impact of the immunity ruling. Smith’s opening brief on presidential immunity is due to Judge Tanya Chutkan by September 26, and Trump’s response is due by October 17.