On Monday, Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan ruled against dismissing President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity. The ruling blocks one potential exit for Trump as he prepares to return to office next month. His legal team had argued that the conviction should be dismissed due to the Supreme Court’s ruling, but the case’s future remains uncertain, and it is unclear when or if a sentencing date will be set.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The payment was allegedly made to prevent Daniels from revealing a past sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies. Trump’s legal team has argued that the case was politically motivated and should be dismissed, citing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that ex-presidents cannot be prosecuted for actions related to their official duties.
Manhattan Judge Blocks Trump’s Efforts to Dismiss Hush Money Conviction Amid Presidential Immunity Ruling
The Supreme Court’s decision last month stated that ex-presidents cannot be prosecuted for actions taken during their time in office. Trump’s lawyers used this to argue that certain evidence presented during the trial, including his presidential financial disclosure form and testimony from White House aides, was improper. However, Judge Merchan ruled that even if some of the evidence related to official acts, it did not infringe upon presidential immunity, as the charges involved purely personal conduct. Merchan also ruled that any potential error in admitting such evidence was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
Trump’s communications director criticized Merchan’s decision, calling it a violation of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. The District Attorney’s office declined to comment. Merchan noted that some of the evidence used by prosecutors, such as Trump’s social media posts, were personal in nature, and that prior rulings had found the hush money payment to be a private matter, not tied to Trump’s official duties. This further solidified his decision to proceed with the case.
Since the verdict, Trump’s legal team has made several efforts to have the conviction dismissed, with the defense arguing that pursuing the case while Trump prepares to take office would create constitutional disruptions. Prosecutors, on the other hand, proposed several ways to preserve the conviction, including freezing the case until Trump leaves office or noting that he was convicted but not sentenced due to his presidency. These suggestions were rejected by Trump’s lawyers, who branded them as absurd. Trump’s conviction remains a historic moment, as he becomes the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
