Supreme Court denies Trump's bid to halt his sentencing in hush money case

The US Supreme Court has denied a last-minute bid by President-elect Donald Trump to halt sentencing in his hush money case.

The top court rejected Trump's emergency application seeking to block Friday's sentencing by a 5-4 vote on Thursday.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court's three liberals in rejecting his emergency motion.

The majority found his sentencing wouldn't be an insurmountable burden during the presidential transition since Judge Juan M. Merchan has indicated he won't give Trump jail time, fines or probation.

Trump's attorneys had asked the sentencing be delayed as he appeals the verdict, but the majority of justices found his arguments could be handled as part of the regular appeals process.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would have delayed the sentencing, the order states.

The high court's conservative majority has handed Trump other major victories over the past year, ensuring that states could not kick him off the ballot because of the 2021 Capitol riot and giving him immunity from prosecution over some acts he took as president in a ruling that delayed an election-interference case against him.

'Justice will prevail'

Trump said he respects the Supreme Court's refusal to delay his sentencing in the case, saying he will be appealing the case.

"I'm confident that justice will prevail," he said.

In the New York case, Trump's attorneys have argued that evidence used in the Manhattan trial violated last summer's Supreme Court ruling giving Trump broad immunity from prosecution over acts he took as president.

At the least, they have said, the sentencing should be delayed while their appeals play out to avoid distracting Trump during the White House transition.

Prosecutors pushed back, saying there's no reason for the court to take the "extraordinary step" of intervening in a state case now. Trump’s attorneys haven’t shown that an hourlong virtual hearing would be a serious disruption, and a pause would likely mean pushing the case past the Jan. 20 inauguration, creating a yearslong delay in sentencing if it happens at all.

Trump's attorneys went to the justices after New York courts refused to postpone sentencing, including the state's highest court on Thursday.

Judges in New York have found that the convictions on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to personal matters rather than Trump's official acts as president.

Trump's attorneys called the case politically motivated, and they said sentencing him now would be a "grave injustice" that threatens to disrupt the presidential transition as the Republican prepares to return to the White House.

Trump is represented by D. John Sauer, his pick to be the solicitor general, who represents the government before the high court.