New York Judge Juan M. Merchan delayed a ruling on whether to scrap Donald Trump’s conviction in a hush money case.
The judge halted the proceedings and delayed the ruling until at least Nov. 19 to allow prosecutors to give their view in light of Trump’s recent election win.
The big picture: Trump’s lawyers argued for dismissing the case to allow him to govern, citing unconstitutional impediments to his ability to govern.
- Prosecutors need to consider how to balance the jury’s verdict and the presidency due to “unprecedented circumstances.”
The backstory: Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Driving the news: The Supreme Court ruling that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for actions they took in running the country is being cited by Trump’s lawyers to argue for throwing out the case.
- The case centered on how Trump accounted for reimbursing his personal attorney for the Daniels payment, with prosecutors arguing that the designation was meant to cover up a broader effort to keep voters from hearing unflattering claims about Trump.
