WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 A divided Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 bid to delay his sentencing in his hush money case in New York.
The court鈥檚 5-4 order clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence Friday on Trump, who was convicted in what prosecutors called an attempt to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to . Trump has denied any liaison with Daniels or any wrongdoing.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court鈥檚 three liberals in rejecting his emergency motion.
They found his sentencing wouldn't be a serious burden since Merchan has indicated he won't give Trump jail time, fines or probation. Trump's arguments against the verdict, meanwhile, can be handled as part of the regular appeals process, the majority found.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would have delayed the sentencing, the order states.
Trump鈥檚 attorneys have argued that evidence used in the Manhattan trial violated last summer鈥檚 Supreme Court ruling giving Trump over acts he took as president.
At the least, they have said, the sentencing should be delayed while their appeals play out to avoid distracting Trump during the presidential transition.
Prosecutors pushed back, saying there鈥檚 no reason for the court to take the 鈥渆xtraordinary step鈥 of intervening in a state case now. Trump鈥檚 attorneys haven鈥檛 shown that an hourlong virtual hearing would be a serious disruption, and a pause would likely mean pushing the case past , creating a yearslong delay in sentencing if it happens at all.
Trump鈥檚 attorneys went to the justices after refused to postpone sentencing, including the state鈥檚 highest court on Thursday.
Judges in New York have found that the convictions on related to personal matters rather than Trump鈥檚 official acts as president. Daniels says she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. He denies it.
Trump鈥檚 attorneys called the case politically motivated, and they said sentencing him now would be a 鈥済rave injustice鈥 that threatens to disrupt the presidential transition as the Republican prepares to return to the White House.
Trump is represented by D. John Sauer, his pick to be the solicitor general, who represents the government before the high court.
Sauer also argued for Trump in the separate criminal case charging him with trying to of the 2020 election, which resulted in the Supreme Court鈥檚 immunity opinion.
Defense attorneys cited that opinion in arguing some of the evidence used against him in the hush money trial should have been shielded by presidential immunity. That includes testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made while he was in office.
The decision comes a day after Justice Alito confirmed that he from Trump the day before the president-elect鈥檚 lawyers filed their emergency motion before the high court. The justice said the call was about a clerk, not any upcoming or current cases.
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Sisak reported from New York, Hill from Albany, New York. Associated Press writer Mark Sherman contributed to this report.
