The New York Court of Appeals rejected Donald Trump’s request to delay his sentencing on the eve of his hearing. On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan will sentence the president-elect for his 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, the porn actress with whom Trump had an affair. Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office argued that Trump’s petition to delay his sentencing hinged on an “utterly baseless” interpretation of presidential immunity. “The President-elect is, by definition, not yet the President,” the filing read. On Thursday morning, the president-elect’s attorneys were notified that Judge Jenny Rivera of the state’s highest court denied Trump’s request, CNN reported. The president-elect has also asked the Supreme Court to block his sentencing. He faces up to four years in prison. Merchan, however, has indicated that he plans to sentence Trump to an unconditional discharge—which would not impose prison time, fines or probation—to respect Trump’s presidential transition efforts. Trump is expected to appear virtually at the sentencing hearing.
