Trump will revoke the fine-liability judgment
In a hush money trial, Trump is found guilty in all charges but seeks to overturn the verdict due to partial immunity granted by the Supreme Court.
Former US President Donald Trump has filed a petition to vacate his conviction in the New York hush money trial. In a petition filed with Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday, Trump's lawyers refer to the Supreme Court's decision from early July, which granted Trump partial immunity against criminal prosecution. Therefore, the jury's verdict and the charges against Trump should be overturned, they argue. Merchan announced he would rule on this motion on September 6.
Trump was found guilty by the jury on May 30 in all 34 charges related to falsifying business documents to hide a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump, 78, is the first former US President to be criminally charged in history. The sentencing for Trump, which was originally scheduled for this Thursday, was postponed by Merchan "if necessary," as he announced at the time.
The conservative-majority Supreme Court granted Trump, like all US Presidents, broad immunity against criminal prosecution for their official actions, which was hailed as a victory by the likely Republican presidential candidate. The $130,000 hush money payment (equivalent to around €122,000 today) was paid to Stormy Daniels before the election and was facilitated by Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen reportedly received the money back from Trump, who was already President at the time, according to the indictment, and this transaction was allegedly concealed through falsified business records.
Prison sentence for Trump unlikely
The evidence presented by the prosecution includes actions taken by Trump while he was in office and statements from White House staff, argued Trump's lawyers. However, the Supreme Court did not grant Trump complete immunity for all his actions during his tenure: actions taken as a private person and not as a public official are not protected. If Merchan denies the motion to vacate the verdict and the conviction stands, an imprisonment for Trump is considered unlikely. Given that he is the first person to be criminally charged and it is not a violent crime, experts anticipate a probation or fine.
Trump is expected to be officially nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidential election on November 5 by the party. The right-wing populist faces three other criminal charges. In two cases, it concerns his attempts to overturn his electoral loss to the current President Joe Biden in 2020, and in the third case, it concerns the removal of confidential government documents to his private residence in Florida. The outcome of these three cases following the Supreme Court's immunity decision is uncertain.
- Despite being found guilty in the New York hush money trial, Donald Trump's lawyers are arguing for the overturning of the verdict, citing partial immunity granted to him by the Supreme Court due to his position as the former President of the United States of America.
- The Supreme Court's decision, which granted President Trump immunity against criminal prosecution for his official actions, has become a point of contention in the hush money trial judgments, as Trump's lawyers seek to use it to overturn the verdict.
- As the legal battle over the hush money trial judgments continues in New York, former President Donald Trump, a prominent figure in American politics, awaits a ruling from Judge Juan Merchan on his motion to vacate the verdict, citing the Supreme Court's partial immunity decision.
