New York’s highest appeals court declines to block Trump’s sentencing in his felony conviction
LA TimesPresident-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers turned to the Supreme Court after New York courts refused to postpone his sentencing in his felony conviction. New York’s highest court on Thursday declined to block Donald Trump’s upcoming sentencing for his felony conviction, leaving the Supreme Court as the president-elect’s likely last option to prevent the hearing from taking place Friday. His lawyers turned to the nation’s highest court Wednesday after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan. In a filing to the top New York court, Trump’s attorneys had said Merchan and the state’s mid-level appellate court both “erroneously failed” to stop the sentencing, arguing that the Constitution requires an automatic pause as they appeal and that the sentencing would disrupt the Republican’s presidential transition as he prepares to return to the White House on Jan. 20.