Federal appeals court denies Trump’s request to delay sentencing in hush money case

A federal appeals court on Thursday denied former President Donald Trump’s effort to delay his sentencing in the criminal hush money case because the state judge overseeing the matter already postponed the date.

“In light of the state court’s adjournment of sentencing until November 26, 2024, it is hereby ordered that the motion for an emergency administrative stay is denied,” a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.

Trump asked the New York-based appeals court to get involved after a federal judge denied his request to move the state case to federal court.

While the case was on appeal, New York state Judge Juan Merchan, who oversees the state case, agreed to move Trump’s sentencing, then set for September 18, until after the November presidential election, in part to avoid the appearance of aiding one political party or another.

The former president’s lawyers argued that even with the state adjournment, they wanted the appeals court to step in and put the case on hold until they can fully litigate their challenge to Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records following the US Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity this summer.