Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday agreed with Donald Trump’s request to postpone his criminal sentencing so that the judge overseeing the case could weigh whether a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling might imperil his conviction. It seems likely that the judge will delay the July 11 sentencing. Trump, who was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to his cover-up of a sex scandal during his 2016 presidential campaign, could face up to four years in prison or as little as a few weeks in jail or probation. The Supreme Court granted Trump broad immunity from prosecution for official actions taken as president.
Although the Manhattan case does not center on Trump’s presidency or official acts — but rather personal activity during his campaign — his lawyers argued that prosecutors had built their case partly on evidence from his time in the White House. Under the Supreme Court’s new ruling, prosecutors not only cannot charge a president for any official acts, but also cannot cite evidence involving official acts to bolster other accusations. Trump's lawyers asked Judge Juan Merchan to drop the case and to postpone the sentencing while he considered their request. The district attorney told the judge, "Although we believe defendant’s arguments to be without merit, we do not oppose his request for leave to file and his putative request to adjourn sentencing pending determination of his motion." Trump’s lawyers proposed filing their court papers on July 10, and the district attorney’s office said it would respond two weeks later.