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The impact of Donald Trump’s reelection continues to be felt vis-a-vis his legal matters, including the Manhattan criminal case in which he was found guilty on 34 felony counts in May. 

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On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, was expected to issue a ruling regarding the presidential immunity issue raised by Trump’s legal team after the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue in July. 

Rather than issue a substantive ruling, Merchan postponed his ruling by a week in response to a joint request for a stay by Alvin Bragg’s office and Trump’s attorneys, indicating he now intends to rule on November 19. 

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge is postponing a decision on whether to undo President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush money case because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.

New York Judge Juan M. Merchan had been set to rule Tuesday. Instead, he told Trump’s lawyers Tuesday he’d delay the ruling until Nov. 19.

According to emails filed in court, Trump’s lawyers asked for the delay over the weekend, arguing there are “strong reasons for the requested stay, and eventually dismissal of the case in the interests of justice.”

BREAKING: Judge Delays Donald Trump’s Manhattan Case Sentencing Until After Election

Trump Legal Team Asks for Sentencing Delay in New York Case

The communication from the court clerk regarding the joint request for the stay reads as follows:

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Mr. Colangelo and Mr. Bove, the Court is in receipt of your e-mails. 

The joint application for a stay of the current deadlines, including decision on the Defendant’s CPL 330.30 motion, until November 19, 2024, is granted. As per the People’s request, the People are to file with the Court, off calendar, your view of appropriate steps going forward. 

Please make such filing no later than 10:00am on the requested date. Please file a copy of this correspondence, including Mr. Bove’s e-mail, on the Court docket first thing Tuesday.

Although it’s only a brief delay, the stated purpose of it (from Bragg’s office) is “to provide time to review and consider a number of arguments based on the impact on this proceeding from the results of the Presidential election; defendant’s forthcoming certification as President-elect on January 6, 2025; and his inauguration on January 20, 2025.”

We’ll have to wait and see what the next move by Bragg’s office is and whether that will moot Merchan’s ruling on the immunity issue (and, if necessary, subsequent sentencing). We will, of course, bring you any additional updates as soon as they become available.