Delays Trump sentencing to after the election
Judge Merchan had originally set up his ruling on Trump's immunity claims just two days before he was set to sentence him. This suggested two things. The first is that he had already determined that he would rule against Trump on the immunity claims (otherwise, why would he still need a sentencing date). The second was that he was not really going to allow Trump enough time to appeal the immunity claims ruling before Merchan would sentence him. While the Trump legal team probably had an appeal already set to go, two days would be a short period of time for another court to provide him with a stay of sentencing less than 48 hours later.
The buzz was that Merchan would simply sentence Trump to jail time and then Harris and the Democrats would be able to call him not only a convicted felon, but a convicted felon who was facing jail time. Now, as it stands, Donald Trump will not even be technically a convicted felon at the time of the election, as a jury verdict does not (contrary to popular belief) make you convicted. The Judge actually has to enter the verdict into record as a conviction, and as long as there are still appeals going on, we have no clue if this verdict will hold up. All that being said, let's assume that the convicted felon buzz will continue even if it is technically a false claim.
I would be curious as to the logic of why Merchan made this ruling now. Something must have come up to make him change his mind on all of this. Not sure anything tangible really has happened over the past couple of days, but who knows what is happening behind the scenes.
Update: Merchan has apparently also delayed his ruling on the immunity claims till November 12th, which is two weeks earlier than the (potential) sentencing November 26th. This suggests that he might be rethinking the immunity or at least understands that he need to give Trump time to appeal if he is going to rule against him.
As explained by several legal analysts...
Excuse me Cold, but need I remind you that you are attempting to school the alky, a renowned legal scholar in his own right, who has logged literally hundreds of hours watching Perry Mason re-runs???
A Juris Doctor from TV Land is not to be trifled with.
@amuse on X: "The Democratic National Committee persuaded Acting Justice Merchan to postpone Trump's sentencing until after the election. Concerns grew within the Democratic Party that the judge might imprison Trump beforehand, potentially triggering a widespread backlash against Democratic https://t.co/gJzCW0S4pa" / X
Verdict and conviction are related legal terms, but they have distinct meanings:
Verdict: A formal decision made by a jury or judge on matters of fact in a case.
Conviction: The legal consequence that follows a guilty verdict, determined by a judge.
halfbaked@yahoo.com
Message...
Donald Trump will not even be technically a convicted felon at the time of the election,! ???
As explained by several legal analysts, a jury verdict is not an official conviction until the Judge enters the conviction into the court record. Merchan has not done that as of yet and likely will not be able to do so until the issues regarding immunity are settled.