Donald Trump’s legal team has reportedly requested the overturning of the former president’s conviction in his hush-money criminal case and a delay in his sentencing this month, according to US media.
In a letter addressed to the New York judge overseeing the trial, Trump’s lawyers cited a recent Supreme Court ruling that granted him immunity from prosecution for official actions taken while he was in office.
In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11th.
His legal team highlights that he signed off on the records during his presidency in 2017, although some argue this may not be deemed an official act.
Last year, Trump’s attorneys argued that the allegations in the case were within the scope of his official presidential duties. However, a federal judge concluded that Trump had not demonstrated that his conduct fell under the official acts of a president.
Trump celebrated Monday’s Supreme Court ruling as a significant victory for democracy. The justices determined that while a president is immune for “official acts,” they are not immune for “unofficial acts.”
This ruling pertained to a separate case involving Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, which favored Joe Biden.
President Biden criticized the Supreme Court’s decision, describing it as setting a dangerous precedent that undermines the rule of law in America.
According to reports from CBS News and other media outlets, Donald Trump’s lawyers sent a letter to New York Judge Juan Merchan on Monday.
In the letter, they argue that the recent Supreme Court decision supports their defense position in the New York case, asserting that certain prosecution evidence should not have been admitted because it pertains to official presidential acts.
The contents of the letter have not been disclosed publicly, and Judge Merchan has not provided any comments on the matter.
In May, a jury of 12 Manhattan jurors unanimously found Trump guilty on all charges of falsifying business records.
During the trial, testimony was given by several witnesses, including former adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose alleged encounter with Trump was central to the case.
The former president was accused of orchestrating a payment to buy Daniels’ silence in the final days of his 2016 election campaign. Prosecutors argued that by approving a scheme to disguise the payment as legal expenses, Trump violated election law.
Trump denounced the verdict in the New York case as a “disgrace.”
However, according to Mark Zauderer, a prominent appellate attorney in New York, the Supreme Court’s decision is unlikely to impact Trump’s conviction.
“The allegations in the New York fraud case in which Trump was convicted seem clearly to relate to unofficial conduct by Trump, none of which would seem to involve his official duties,” he told the BBC.
“While Trump will be able to litigate his immunity defence in some of his cases, he will have a most difficult time succeeding with this argument in the New York case.”