Prosecutors for the Manhattan district attorney’s office petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to allow President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing to proceed on Friday as scheduled. The request follows New York Court of Appeals Associate Judge Jenny Rivera’s refusal to grant Trump an emergency stay.
The filing argues that Trump cannot delay sentencing by invoking presidential immunity for past conduct or claiming protections as president-elect. Trump was convicted in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.
Legal Team Denounces Immunity Claim
The district attorney’s appellate counsel, Steven C. Wu, contended in the Supreme Court filing that Trump’s claims of immunity are legally unsupported. Wu emphasized that presidential immunity applies strictly during a president’s term in office.
“Trump’s assertion that future presidential immunity fully protects him now is unprecedented and unsupported by any court decision,” Wu said. “It is axiomatic that there is only one president at a time.”
