The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a last-minute appeal from President-elect Donald Trump to postpone his sentencing in a criminal case involving hush-money payments.
Trump had sought the court’s intervention to delay proceedings while he appealed his conviction, but the justices voted 5-4 against his request.
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for January 10, 2025. The former president was found guilty of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements for a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
Prosecutors argued that the payment was meant to silence Daniels about an alleged affair, a claim Trump has denied.
In his plea to the Supreme Court, Trump argued that he was entitled to an automatic stay of sentencing due to the pending appeal.
However, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in rejecting his bid.
The other four conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh—supported delaying the sentencing.
Reacting to the decision, Trump called the case a “disgrace” but acknowledged that the Supreme Court made a “fair decision.” On his Truth Social platform, he dismissed the case as part of ongoing “witch hunts” targeting him.
Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing the case, has indicated that a prison sentence is not being considered.
