President-elect Donald J. Trump is days away from his criminal sentencing in New York and is seeking a late-stage rescue from the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the case before he resumes his duties at the White House. In an emergency application filed late Tuesday, Trump’s legal team urged the justices to intervene and stop the sentencing, which is set for Friday, just 10 days before the presidential inauguration. This move comes after a New York appeals court rejected a similar request on Tuesday, questioning the validity of Trump’s claim to immunity from prosecution and sentencing as the president-elect.
Trump claims he is entitled to complete immunity based on a Supreme Court ruling from last year that granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts. His lawyers argue that allowing the sentencing to proceed would cause “grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government.” The Supreme Court has directed prosecutors to respond by Thursday morning, indicating that a decision may come before the scheduled sentencing.
The Supreme Court’s ruling may have significant implications as Trump faces the first-ever sentencing of a felon to hold the office of the president. Despite the trial judge indicating that jail time may be spared, the symbolic importance of formalizing Trump’s felon status remains. Trump’s lawyers assert that a presidential sentencing could impede his duties and undermine the doctrine of presidential immunity. The application for a stay at the Supreme Court could potentially prevent Trump’s sentencing altogether.
The ongoing legal battle underscores the complexities surrounding Trump’s presidency and the potential conflicts between criminal proceedings and presidential responsibilities. As the court deliberates on this unprecedented case, the outcome could have far-reaching implications for the future of presidential immunity and the legal challenges surrounding Trump’s tenure. Only time will tell whether the Supreme Court will grant Trump the relief he seeks or uphold the rule of law in the face of such unprecedented circumstances.