Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump have responded to a Supreme Court decision by saying that they will file a motion to challenge the verdict in his hush money trial. On Tuesday, the judge on the case agreed to the request and has postponed sentencing.
In May, a jury in New York found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a payment made to an adult film star over an affair. Judge Juan Merchan was scheduled to announce the sentence on July 11.
However, the Supreme Court on Monday gave Trump what he called a “big win” against accusations he was involved in efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election, including the riot on the Capitol. The justices said presidents should have “absolute immunity” for official acts and sent that case back to a lower court.
Judge Merchan said he will delay sentencing on the hush money trial until at least September so he can weigh the impact of the ruling. Still, overturning the verdict may prove difficult because much of the conduct related to the case happened before Trump took office.