Trump Asks Supreme Court To Block Hush Money Sentencing: Lawyers Call It 'Constitutionally Intolerable Risk'

In a Wednesday filing, President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to block the sentencing in his New York hush money trial.

What Happened: The Trump attorneys’ filing argues that the president-elect’s sentencing would damage “the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government,” ABC reports. He has previously attempted to block the case on grounds of presidential immunity.

“Most fundamentally, forcing President Trump to defend a criminal case and appear for a criminal sentencing hearing at the apex of the presidential transition creates a constitutionally intolerable risk of disruption to national security and America’s vital interests,” Trump’s lawyers continued.

The Supreme Court subsequently asked New York prosecutors for a response by Thursday.

The presiding judge in New York, Juan Merchan, previously said he would issue a sentence for Trump without punishment, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it Matters: Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts by a jury of his peers in May. The counts concerned falsifying records related to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. While usually a misdemeanor, the charges were raised to a felony as prosecutors linked the actions to an attempt by Trump to boost his chances in the 2016 election.

In a ruling in July, the Court sided with Trump in granting the president immunity from future prosecution. The decision was highly controversial among legal scholars.

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