BREAKING: Judge Juan Merchan orders Trump to appear for sentencing in falsified business records case on January 10

On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan ordered President-elect Donald Trump to appear for sentencing in the falsified business records case on January 10, 2025, just over one week before his inauguration.

In an order, Merchan wrote that it is ordered "that Defendant appear for sentencing following conviction on January 10, 2025, at 9:30 in the morning, at the Courthouse located at 100 Centre Street in New York County." Merchan said that Trump could appear in person or virtually.

Merchan wrote that "neither the vacatur of the jury's verdicts nor dismissal of the indictment are required by the Presidential immunity doctrine, the Presidential Transition Act or the Supremacy Clause" and that the defendant’s arguments "are unpersuasive as no compelling factor, consideration or circumstance submitted demonstrate that imposition of sentence would result in an injustice."

Merchan wrote, "Finding no legal impediment to sentencing and recognizing that Presidential immunity will likely attach once Defendant takes his Oath of Office, it is incumbent upon this Court to set this matter down for the imposition of sentence prior to January 20, 2025," adding, "This Court must sentence Defendant within a reasonable time following verdict; and Defendant must be permitted to avail himself of every available appeal, a path he has made clear he intends to pursue but which only becomes fully available upon sentencing."

Merchan noted that "it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court's inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation."

"As such, in balancing the aforementioned considerations in conjunction with the underlying concerns of the Presidential immunity doctrine, a sentence of an unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality and allow Defendant to pursue his appellate options."

In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and was originally set to be sentenced in July. His sentencing date was delayed multiple times after the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have immunity for official acts, but not for unofficial ones. Trump argued that the ruling in New York should have been be overturned because evidence used in the conviction, namely correspondence between himself and his aides as well as social media posts, were protected as "official acts."

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Merchan Trump Decision by Hannah Nightingale on Scribd