Donald Trump’s legal team is making a final push to delay his sentencing, which is scheduled for later this week.
Last year, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in a case led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
After multiple delays, Judge Juan Merchan set January 10 as the sentencing date. However, The New York Times reports that Trump’s lawyers are attempting to halt the process.
With the sentencing set for Friday, just 10 days before the presidential inauguration, Trump’s legal team has asked Judge Merchan to postpone it, according to a court filing made public on Monday.
Despite the likelihood that the request will be denied—since Merchan himself scheduled the sentencing—the lawyers have indicated they will escalate their efforts. If the sentencing isn’t paused by 2 p.m. on Monday, they plan to seek an emergency review from a higher court.
Trump’s lawyers also intend to file a civil action against Judge Merchan, aiming to block the sentencing temporarily. The timeline for this filing is unclear but could happen as early as Monday.
Although Judge Merchan has suggested he will not impose a severe punishment, Trump is fighting to avoid the symbolic impact of being sentenced. If sentenced, he will officially become a felon.
The court filing also reveals that Trump’s team plans to challenge Judge Merchan’s recent decision to uphold the jury’s conviction. The judge rejected Trump’s argument that a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity invalidated his conviction for falsifying business records to conceal a sex scandal.
