Trump’s election interference sentencing was set for today. Why was it postponed?
When former President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records by a Manhattan jury in May, Judge Juan Merchan set his sentencing date for July 11. The sentencing was slated to occur just days before the beginning of the 2024 Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be officially selected as the party’s presidential nominee.
However, in the wake of an unprecedented Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity declaring that Trump is at least partially immune from crimes he committed while in office, Merchan delayed the former president’s sentencing. After he hears arguments from both Trump’s legal team and the prosecuting attorneys in the case, Merchan is expected to make a ruling about whether the conviction can stand in light of the Supreme Court’s decision.
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The new sentencing date is currently set for Sept. 18, less than two months before the Nov. 5 general election. Trump faces sentencing on 34 felony convictions that each carry a four-year maximum prison sentence, but no minimum sentence.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi
Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on Georgia politics. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @MayaHoman.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Trump election interference trial: Why was sentencing postponed?
