New York Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday postponed his decision on whether presidential immunity should have prevented certain evidence from being presented to jurors during Donald Trump's trial last May in the Stormy Daniels affair. This decision, expected next week, could call into question the historic conviction of the former president for falsification of documents, writes CBS News.
Donald Trump, the first former president convicted of crimes, also became, on November 5, the first president with a criminal record to be elected. However, his conviction on 34 counts is now in question following a key Supreme Court ruling in July. It ruled that former presidents benefit from immunity for their official acts, barring the use of evidence related to their presidential duties in a trial.
Request for annulment of conviction
In this context, Donald Trump's lawyers, led by Todd Blanche, requested that the conviction be overturned and that the planned sentence, initially set for November 26, be abandoned. They believe the jury should never have heard testimony regarding Donald Trump's communications with former members of his presidential team, such as Hope Hicks and Madeleine Westerhout.
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, representing the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, acknowledged in an email to Judge Juan Merchan on Sunday that “these circumstances are unprecedented.” However, he stressed the importance of respecting “the guilty verdict of a jury, which benefits from the presumption of regularity”. He also insisted that the elements disputed by the defense represented only “a tiny part of the mountains of evidence” examined by the jurors.
A major political and legal issue
For their part, Donald Trump's lawyers, including Emil Bove, asserted that “a stay, or even a dismissal of the charges, is necessary to avoid unconstitutional obstacles to President Trump's ability to govern.” They argue that the trial, if not overturned, could interfere with his presidential term.
This decision could have profound implications not only for the sentencing of Donald Trump, but also for the future interpretation of presidential immunity. For now, Judge Juan Merchan has postponed his verdict until next week. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, defending his innocence and denying Stormy Daniels' allegations, continues to mix up his legal and political battles as president-elect.
