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It’s been a presidential race marked by increasingly puzzling moments, from the alleged barbecuing of dogs by one presidential hopeful (with a dead worm in his brain) to the zombified debate performance of another.
Now, the run to the White House has been complicated even further by Donald Trump (not all that surprising given his history), specifically in regard to his hush-money case involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels. In case you missed it, the Former President was convicted on 34 counts in May for the criminal offense of falsifying business records to disguise hush money payments to Daniels.
Trump’s sentencing for the case — which marked the first time a former president had been found guilty on felony charges — was scheduled to take place on July 11.
While there was much debate around whether the sentencing would result in time in prison — it’s unlikely Trump would receive the maximum four-year penalty — it seems we might not have an answer anytime soon, with a New York judge delaying the sentencing until September at the earliest. But why exactly was this decision made in the first place?
Why was Donald Trump’s sentencing delayed?
The judge’s postponement of Trump’s sentencing is largely due to a Supreme Court ruling made in early July. In a historic ruling, America’s highest court found that ex-presidents have significant protection from criminal prosecution, which has ramifications for both Trump’s hush money case and his other cases still before other courts.
In layman’s terms, the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents are protected from criminal prosecution for some, but not all, of what they do in office. It’s worth noting that the ruling was handed down by a majority that included three Trump-appointed justices and three conservatives. The ruling only grants immunity in instances that might be considered part of an ex-president’s “official duties” while they were president.
These parameters don’t entirely account for Trump’s hush money case. The incident relating to Daniels took place before he was president, but the actual paying of hush money was in 2017, one year into his presidential term. The ruling means that all evidence regarding Trump’s actual time in the White House is rendered mute, weakening the case of the prosecutors.
Regardless, the ruling will have major consequences for the other criminal charges brought against Trump while he was in office, like the charge of interference in the 2020 election. Those opposed to the ruling warned that it could lead to scenarios where presidents carry out unlawful acts — like military coups or political assassinations — without fear of prosecution.
Just hours after the ruling, Trump’s lawyers requested that the judge set aside the guilty verdict in the hush money case and delay the sentencing in light of how ex-president immunity might affect the charges. Trump’s legal team is seeking to overturn the conviction based on the ruling, and the judge’s consideration of this request has delayed Trump’s sentencing.
The delay means Trump’s sentencing won’t take place until at least September 18, well after the Republican National Convention where he is set to accept the nomination in this year’s presidential race. Trump himself responded to the ruling on his social media platform, Truth Social, describing it as a “big win for our constitution and democracy.”
Trump also claimed the ruling granted him “total exoneration” in the hush money case. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, said the ruling sets a dangerous precedent for those in office, since it means there “are virtually no limits on what the president can do.” Biden asked voters whether they would feel comfortable electing a president who is now “emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it.”
As for what happens next, the Supreme Court ruling is a big win for Trump, especially in the cases that pertain to alleged crimes during his time in office. The timing of the ruling essentially eradicates any looming cloud of criminal charges around Trump before the election in November, since his other trials likely won’t take place before polling day.
Trump has spoken before about his plans to make sweeping changes to government, including to the Justice Department, should he win the election. In that instance, if he does take the White House, he might be able to have the case dropped. He could also pardon himself altogether.