Judge Juan Merchan ordered President-elect Donald Trump to appear for sentencing in the falsified business records case on January 10.
Merchan wrote in the order, “This court finds 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.”
“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.”
Trump can choose to appear at the sentencing in person or virtually.
Merchan signaled that he plans to sentence Trump to an “unconditional discharge.”
“Having addressed and resolved all matters brought before this Court and the verdict now more than half a year behind us, all that remains outstanding in this case is the issuance of this Decision and the imposition of sentence,” he wrote. “Scheduling sentence is a function that remains exclusively within the purview of the trial judge and can be easily set down for a date and time certain to minimize disruption and inconvenience, provided that applicable statutory obligations are met.”
“While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendant an opportunity to be heard, 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,” the ruling added.
“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,” Merchan wrote.
