In a decision that shows the ability of power and money to tie up the court system, Judge Merchan has delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing on 34 felony convictions until November 26, 2024.
Merchan wrote:
Unfortunately, we are now at a place in time that is fraught with complexities rendering the
requirements of a sentencing hearing, should one be necessary, difficult to execute. Thus, in accordance with certain of the grounds submitted by Defendant and the reasons for adjournment provided by the People coupled with the unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in, the decision on the CPL $ 330.30 motion and the imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance-however unwarranted-that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate.
The Court is an impartial and apolitical rnstitution. Adjourning decision on the motion and sentencing, if such is required, should dispel any suggestion that the Court will have issued any decision or imposed sentence either to give an advantage to or to create a disadvantage for, any political party and or any candidate for any office.
Adjournments for sentencing are routinely granted, often several times, in any number of other criminal matters pending in this courthouse, particularly when unopposed, for reasons ranging from personal circumstances to the scheduling needs of the parties involved. Given the unique facts and circumstances of this case, there is no reason why this Defendant should be treated any differently than any other.
This is not a decision this Court makes lightly, but it is the decision which in this Court’s view,
best advances the interests of justice.
In plain English, the court doesn’t want to influence the presidential election by sentencing before the election, so Donald Trump has successfully postponed his sentencing because he is the Republican presidential candidate.
Beyond the politics of the situation, Merchan’s ruling shows that the justice system operates differently for people with status, power, and money. If Donald Trump was a run of the mill fraudster who was not the presidential nominee of a major political party, he would have been sentenced over the summer, but because he is the Republican nominee, Trump is getting special treatment, not matter what the court claims, and he will be allowed to avoid being sentenced until after the election.
All the lawyers who told America to trust the rule of law and the justice system to handle Trump were wrong.
The courts aren’t going to save America from Trump.
The American people will have to do it themselves in about two months on election day.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
