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President-elect Donald Trump filed an emergency motion to the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday to stop his impending sentencing in the New York hush money case.
The move comes just two days after Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s request to further delay the sentence, which was also opposed by prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Trump’s team is seeking an immediate stay of the scheduled sentencing. In the motion to the Supreme Court, they argued that the sentencing would interfere with his preparations for taking office.
Additionally, his team wrote that the sentencing should be delayed while on appeal to “prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government.”
The filing also referenced the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, which Trump’s team claims is applicable to the hush money trial, given that some of his official acts while President were entered as evidence during the trial.
Trump’s team wrote in the filing that the New York trial court “lacks authority to impose sentence and judgment on President Trump – or conduct any further criminal proceedings against him – until the resolution of this underlying appeal raising substantial claims of Presidential immunity, including by review in this Court if necessary.”
Trump’s incoming White House Communications Director Steven Cheung reiterated in a statement that the case was politically motivated and should be dismissed.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who hears appeals from New York, received the filing from Trump’s legal team.
The district attorney’s office also intends to respond in a filing to the High Court.
The president-elect’s team also filed an appeal with the New York state supreme court, according to the Associated Press.
Merchan previously stated that he would not sentence Trump to prison time but would instead issue a sentence of “unconditional discharge,” which means that he would not impose any punishment.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and accused the Democrats of bringing the case solely to hurt his chances of reelection.
Unless the Supreme Court intervenes within the next 48 hours, Merchan will sentence Trump on Friday.
