US judiciary: Supreme Court: Sentencing against Trump takes place

The sentencing of future US President Donald Trump in the New York hush money trial can take place today as planned. The Supreme Court in the US capital Washington decided this and thus rejected an urgent application from Trump’s lawyers. The decision is a major defeat for the 78-year-old. The announcement is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. German time. Judge Juan Merchan gave Trump the opportunity to participate virtually.

In an initial reaction to the rejection of his urgent application, Trump thanked the Supreme Court for its “time and effort” and again spoke out against Judge Merchan. The process was a “witch hunt,” Trump wrote again and again on the online portal Truth Social, which he co-founded. “There was no case against me. In other words, I am not guilty of all of the judge’s made-up, not real, allegations.”

Trump wanted to prevent the sentence from being announced with all his might

Trump wanted to do everything in his power to prevent the announcement from happening this Friday – ten days before the Republican was sworn in again as president. Before he turned to the Supreme Court, the Republican had already failed with corresponding requests in lower courts. However, the sentence announcement is unlikely to have a direct impact on Trump’s presidency – it is more of a symbolic nature.

The chief justices were divided: four conservative justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – would have granted the request, while the court’s five-judge majority rejected it. The decision was also justified by the fact that the sentence was “relatively irrelevant” to Trump’s duties as future president.

Trump faces no punishment following New York guilty verdict

Last week, the judge in charge had already announced the prospect of an “unconditional discharge”. This form of sentencing would not result in any further criminal consequences such as imprisonment or a fine, but would establish legal guilt – according to the jury’s guilty verdict. This would make Trump the first convicted criminal to move into the White House.

The trial was about the illegal concealment of $130,000 in hush money that Trump had paid to the porn actress Stormy Daniels – according to the court’s conviction, with the aim of gaining advantages in the 2016 election campaign. Jurors in New York found Trump guilty on 34 counts in late May. It was the first time in United States history that a former president was convicted of a crime.