Supreme Court rules 5-4 against Trump's emergency stay request, clearing path for sentencing in financial records case on Friday morning.
Supreme Court allows Trump sentencing in financial records case to proceed
The Supreme Court cleared the way for Donald Trump's sentencing in his financial records case with a Thursday evening decision.
The justices ruled 5-4 against the former president's emergency petition for a stay, enabling the planned Friday sentencing to move forward. The majority consisted of liberal justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Brown Jackson, alongside Barrett and Chief Justice Roberts.
Trump's legal team had filed a motion to postpone the sentencing, citing alleged procedural errors at the trial level and arguing that carrying out the sentence on 34 counts of financial record falsification would impede his official duties. They maintained that proceeding with the hearing would "create an unconstitutional impediment that compromises critical national interests."
The court's unsigned decision directed Trump to pursue his remaining state-level remedies, stating that his procedural objections could be addressed "through standard appellate channels." The justices minimized concerns about the sentence's impact, referencing Judge Juan Merchan's stated intention to avoid imposing incarceration.
"The impact of sentencing on the duties before the defendant will be minimal, given the court's expressed plan to issue an 'unconditional discharge' following a brief remote proceeding," the decision states.
Merchan's scheduling order emphasized that nullifying the verdict or further postponement "would represent a disproportionate outcome and severely undermine public faith" in legal institutions.
The ruling revealed that multiple justices would have supported Trump's request for a stay. Justice Samuel Alito, who had met privately with Trump shortly before the emergency filing, sided with the defendant.
During a Thursday evening gathering with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago, Trump expressed that he "accept[s] the court's judgment."
"The outcome remains to be seen," he remarked, according to Fox News coverage. "I'm optimistic about the resolution."
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, Jan 10 at 9:30 a.m.