In May, #Trump was convicted on 34 counts of having #FalsifiedBusinessRecords in connection w/a #HushMoney payment to his ex-fixer #MichaelCohen made to adult film actress #StormyDaniels so she would keep her story of an affair w/Trump… a secret until after the 2016 presidential election.[#ElectionInterference]

The #GagOrder once prevented Trump from attacking key witnesses — like Cohen & Daniels — & jurors, but the judge partially lifted the order after the trial’s conclusion.

#Trump has argued the [extremely narrow] #GagOrder violates the First Amendment rights of him & his millions of supporters [who are not under any gag order BTWs] emphasizing his status as a presidential candidate in this year’s election.

Trump asked the #NewYork Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, to hear his challenge after his arguments were rejected by lower courts.

The delay will spare #Trump a distraction — & humiliation — at a critical moment. MVP #KamalaHarris’s entry into the presidential race in July upended the campaign & erased his lead in the polls.

Justice #Merchan, a veteran judge who once vowed to apply “the rules of #law evenhandedly,” was an unlikely deliverer of relief for the former president. Yet his ruling on Friday marked just #Trump’s latest success in dragging out his varied #legal entanglements, a strategy that has paid off in all four #criminal cases looming over the [#abuser]….

The judge’s decision to push the proceeding is likely to infuriate Bragg’s liberal supporters & fuel accusations that #Trump is above the #law, shielded from the consequences of conviction, unlike any other #felon. To avoid that impression, left-leaning legal scholars — & Trump critics seeking catharsis — wanted Justice #Merchan to hold Trump accountable promptly after he was convicted in May of having #FalsifiedBusinessRecords to cover up a sex scandal.

Justice #Merchan’s decision came at the request of #Trump, who had asked to #delay the sentencing until after the #election, partly so he had more time to challenge his #conviction. Prosecutors working for the Manhattan DA, #AlvinBragg, who brought the case, had deferred to the judge, paving the way for at least a brief postponement.

The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s #criminal case in Manhattan postponed his sentencing until after #Election Day, a significant victory for #Trump as he seeks to overturn his #conviction & win back the White House.

In a ruling on Fri, the judge, Juan M. #Merchan, cited the “unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in” & rescheduled the sentencing for Nov 26.

Sept 16: Justice #Merchan will decide whether to grant #Trump's motion to throw out his #Manhattan #FalsifiedBusinessRecords #ElectionInterference #HushMoney case verdict. Trump argues #SCOTUS' recent ruling on presidential #immunity invalidates evidence used during the trial [as if hush money payments to a porn star were official presidential acts]. If his motion isn't granted, Trump's team will push for the sentencing to be moved to give him more time to figure out next steps.

The jury unanimously determined that #Trump #FalsifiedBusinessRecords to cover up $130k in payments to adult film star #StormyDaniels, which could have affected his #2016election campaign.

The original July 11 sentencing date was pushed back after #SCOTUS delivered its ruling on presidential #immunity in July. Justice #Merchan has said he will rule on the immunity argument Sept 16, just 2 days before the scheduled sentencing.

[Unsurprisingly] The brief order noted that 2 conservative justices, #ClarenceThomas & Samuel #Alito, would have allowed the state to at least file its lawsuit directly at the #SCOTUS although they would not grant the emergency relief that Bailey wanted.

The court rejected Missouri's bid to sue the state of #NewYork, meaning the justices will not lift the #GagOrder or delay sentencing in the unusual claim brought by #Republican #Missouri AG #AndrewBailey, who is running for a full term this fall.

Many commentators said the filing was more of a #PoliticalStunt aimed at gaining #publicity than a serious #legal claim.