The US Supreme Court has denied President-elect Donald Trump’s request to delay his sentencing in the criminal hush-money case.
The court’s 5-4 decision allows the sentencing to proceed as scheduled.
Trump was found guilty of falsifying records to conceal reimbursements for a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Justice Juan Merchan has indicated that he will not impose a jail term.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump called the case a “disgrace” but acknowledged that the ruling was a “fair decision, actually.” He criticized Justice Merchan, stating that he “shouldn’t have been on the case.”
The justices dismissed Trump’s petition, noting that the burden of attending a sentencing was “insubstantial” and his concerns could be addressed during an appeal.
Two conservative justices, John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, joined the court’s three liberals to deny the delay.
This decision follows months of legal wrangling, with Trump’s lawyers unsuccessfully appealing in lower New York courts and ultimately petitioning the Supreme Court.
Separately, Trump faced another legal setback when a federal appeals court in Georgia denied a bid to block the release of a special counsel’s report on alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
