Trump's Sentencing in New York v. Trump to Proceed

The United States Supreme Court has denied President-elect Trump's petition to block his upcoming sentencing in the New York v. Trump case. Trump had filed an emergency petition to the court on Wednesday, seeking to prevent his January 10th sentencing, scheduled by Judge Juan Merchan.

The Supreme Court's order stated that Trump's alleged evidentiary violations at the state-court trial could be addressed through the normal appeals process. Additionally, the court noted that the burden of sentencing would be relatively minor, as the trial court intended to impose a sentence of unconditional discharge after a brief virtual hearing.

Four justices, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, would have granted Trump's application. However, with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Coney Barrett joining Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Brown Jackson, the petition was ultimately denied.

Trump's sentencing is now expected to move forward as scheduled on Friday, January 10th. He is expected to appear virtually for the proceeding.

The sentencing stems from a jury finding Trump guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree. This charge resulted from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has appealed the ruling, but his appeal was rejected by Judge Merchan last week.

Trump's lawyers argued that the Supreme Court should stay the sentencing proceedings pending the resolution of his appeal, which raises questions of presidential immunity. They also argued that New York prosecutors erroneously admitted evidence related to official presidential acts during the trial, ignoring the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity.

Judge Merchan has stated that he does not intend to sentence Trump to prison, but rather to impose a sentence of unconditional discharge, meaning no punishment would be imposed.

Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20th. He has maintained his innocence in the case and has repeatedly criticized it as an example of "lawfare" promoted by Democrats to harm his election efforts.