The U.S. Supreme Court has denied President-elect Donald Trump’s urgent appeal to suspend his sentencing scheduled for Friday in the hush-money case concerning payments made to a porn star.
Trump submitted this last-minute request on January 8, 2025, following a New York State appeals court’s refusal to delay the proceedings.
He is set to receive his sentence on January 10.Trump was convicted of falsifying records to conceal reimbursements for a $130,000 hush-money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Despite the conviction, Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, has indicated that he does not intend to impose a jail sentence on Trump.In a response given to reporters on Thursday evening, the president-elect labeled the case a “disgrace,” yet acknowledged the Supreme Court’s decision as a “fair” one.
He criticized Justice Merchan, stating, “It’s a judge that shouldn’t have been on the case,” and asserted that the legal challenges he faces are politically motivated.
Later, he took to his Truth Social platform, saying, “The pathetic, dying remnants of the Witch Hunts against me will not distract us.”
Notably, the Supreme Court’s ruling came as a 5-4 decision, with two conservative justices—John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett—joining three liberal justices to reject Trump’s request for a delay.
The four dissenting judges—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh—would have supported Trump’s bid to postpone the sentencing.
