Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in wake of Supreme Court immunity decision

Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to influence the results of the 2016 election by concealing unsavory stories.

“The Trump decision confirmed the defense position that DANY should not have been permitted to offer evidence at trial of President Trump’s official acts,” his lawyers wrote in the letter.

Monday’s Supreme Court decision expanded presidential immunity to all “official acts,” providing Trump additional legal leeway as his lawyers fight his multiple criminal cases. The justices found that presidents are not immune for “unofficial acts.”

Experts were skeptical that the decision would allow Trump to do away with his conviction.

The underlying conspiracy to influence the results of the election took place before Trump was president, and repayments to Michael Cohen for paying off porn star Stormy Daniels were a “classic” example of unofficial acts, attorney Ron Kuby told the Daily News on Monday.

The sentencing was expected to be the only time the former president would face criminal accountability before the election. His other cases have faced significant delays, and his trial in Washington, D.C., where he was charged with illegally attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is expected to be further delayed because of the Supreme Court decision.

Merchan is now expected to decide whether Trump will serve time behind bars in the home stretch of the campaign: The sentencing date is now scheduled for about a month and a half before election day on Tuesday, Nov. 5 — assuming there are no further delays.

Previously, Trump’s July 2023 attempt to get the hush-money charges moved to federal court was rejected by Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who wrote that the matter was simply a personal “coverup of an embarrassing event,” not an official function of the presidency.

“Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a president’s official acts,” Hellerstein wrote in the ruling. “It does not reflect in any way the color of the president’s official duties.”