In another somewhat stunning turn of events, Judge Juan Merchan has issued a ruling in the Manhattan criminal case involving President-elect Donald Trump, indicating that he will sentence Trump ahead of his inauguration.
In early May, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Since then, there has been significant legal maneuvering, with multiple post-trial motions aimed at overturning the verdict and/or delaying the sentencing, if not outright dismissing the case on grounds of presidential immunity and/or in light of Trump’s reelection. Merchan’s rulings on the post-trial matters, like many of them ahead of and during the trial, have largely not favored Trump.
In a Friday ruling, Merchan indicated that he will hold the sentencing hearing on Friday, January 10.
Justice Juan Merchan will sentence Trump for his crimes on Jan. 10 — just 10 days before his inauguration on Jan. 20 — in a court proceeding that will be unlike any in America’s 248 years
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Justice Juan Merchan’s ruling ends two months of speculation — and jockeying by Trump’s attorneys and prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — following Trump’s narrow election victory on Nov. 5.
What that sentencing will look like remains to be seen, but Merchan, while expressing criticism of Trump’s comments regarding the judicial system, has signaled it may include an “unconditional discharge.”
“Defendant’s disdain for the Third Branch of government, whether state or federal, in New York or elsewhere, is a matter of public record. Indeed, Defendant has gone to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole,” the ruling said.
“While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendant an opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” the ruling said.
“As such; in balancing the aforementioned considerations in conjunction with the underlying concerns of the Presidential immunity doctrine, a sentence of an unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality and allow Defendant to pursue his appellate options,” Merchan wrote.
As of this writing, Trump has not yet responded, but we can expect a statement from his team or the President-elect himself shortly.
