*Trump is expected to be sentenced in Friday, January 10, 2025, in a court in the United States, after being convicted by a New York jury in May last year, of 34 counts of ‘falsifying business records’ to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Thursday, January 9, 2025, urged the United States (US) Supreme Court to reject President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 request to block sentencing in his hush-money case.

The US President-elect is to be sentenced Friday, January 10, having been convicted by a New York jury, May 2024, of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump, 78, who is to be sworn in as President Monday, January 20, filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court Wednesday, seeking to halt his sentencing after a New York state appeals court dismissed his bid to have the hearing delayed.

Trump鈥檚 lawyers have made several legal maneuvers in an effort to fend off the sentencing, which the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has already indicated will not result in jail time.

鈥淭his court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government,鈥� they wrote in their application to the Supreme Court.

Trump鈥檚 lawyers have claimed that the immunity from prosecution granted to a sitting President should also be extended to a President-elect, AFP report said.

Bragg, however, rejected their arguments in his response.

The Manhattan District Attorney said that Trump was a private citizen, when he was 鈥渃harged, tried, and convicted for conduct that he concedes is wholly unofficial.鈥�

鈥淒efendant makes the unprecedented claim that the temporary presidential immunity he will possess in the future fully immunises him now, weeks before he even takes the oath of office, from all state-court criminal process,鈥� he said.

鈥�No basis’ for Supreme Court intervention: Manhattan District Attorney

Bragg also said the Supreme Court 鈥渓acks jurisdiction over a state court鈥檚 management of an ongoing criminal trial鈥� and preventing sentencing would be an 鈥渆xtraordinary step鈥� by the top court.

鈥淭here is no basis for such intervention,鈥� Bragg said. 鈥淭he emergency application should be denied.鈥�

In their filing to the New York appeals court, Trump鈥檚 legal team had argued that sentencing should be postponed while the former president appeals his conviction, but associate justice Ellen Gesmer rejected that on Tuesday.

Merchan said in a filing last week he was leaning towards giving Trump an unconditional discharge that would not carry jail time or probation.

The sentence would nevertheless see Trump entering the White House as the first convicted felon to serve as US president.

Trump potentially faced up to four years in prison, but legal experts 鈥� even before he won the November presidential election 鈥� did not expect Merchan to incarcerate him.

Trump was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election Monday, four years after his supporters rioted at the US Capitol as he sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.

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