Former President Donald Trump’s sentencing for a New York hush money conviction will have to wait until after the 2024 presidential election. Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan agreed on Friday, Sept. 6, to postpone handing down the sentence until Nov. 26, right before Thanksgiving, marking the second time it has been delayed.
The sentencing, originally scheduled for July 11, was pushed back the first time because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, which moved the July date to Sept. 18. Now, the presidential race complicates the matter.
It had been scheduled for Sept. 18, about seven weeks before Election Day.
Trump’s lawyers pushed for the delay on multiple fronts, petitioning the judge and asking a federal court to intervene. They argued that punishing the former president and current Republican nominee in the thick of his campaign to retake the White House would amount to election interference.
Trump’s lawyers argued that delaying his sentencing until after the election would also allow him time to weigh next steps after Merchan rules on the defense’s request to reverse his conviction and dismiss the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July presidential immunity ruling.
