Supreme Court Denies Trump's Bid to Halt Hush Money Case Sentencing

The U.S. Supreme Court denied President-elect Donald Trump's request to pause his New York hush money case sentencing, allowing the hearing to proceed. In a narrow 5-4 ruling, the Court stated that Trump's concerns could be addressed on appeal. Trump criticized the decision as politically motivated.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied President-elect Donald Trump's effort to stop criminal proceedings in his New York hush money case. The decision, which allows the sentencing hearing scheduled for Friday to proceed, came in a close 5-4 vote, with four conservative justices dissenting, according to NBC News. The conservative-majority court shifted its stance after previously granting Trump two significant victories last year. Trump is set to return to the White House on January 20.

The brief, unsigned order indicated that the issues Trump wishes to raise could be considered through an ordinary appeals process. The court noted that the impact of sentencing on Trump is "relatively insubstantial" since he is not facing prison time, NBC reported. Following the ruling, Trump criticized the judicial process, labeling the case as politically driven, yet expressed optimism that justice would ultimately prevail.

In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump thanked the Supreme Court for addressing what he called "the great injustice" against him, asserting the case was baseless and fueled by political motivations. He described the actions as weaponizing the justice system against opponents, a practice he termed "lawfare." Trump emphasized this unprecedented legal action undermines his First Amendment rights due to a gag order, pledging to appeal in defense of the presidency's dignity, confident justice will prevail.

Previously, Trump sought Supreme Court intervention to delay the sentencing, set for January 10. His legal team argued this postponement was vital to avoid significant injustice and protect presidential integrity and federal government functions. Trump was convicted of falsifying records in May 2023, related to concealing payments to Michael Cohen, who facilitated a $130,000 payment to adult-film actor Stormy Daniels to ensure her silence about an alleged affair before the 2016 election. Trump has denied all accusations. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)