On Tuesday, a New York appeals court rejected President-elect Donald J. Trump’s request to delay his criminal sentencing, marking a significant blow to his efforts to resolve the case before returning to the White House.
Trump, who is set to be sentenced on Friday, just days before his second presidential inauguration, had urged the court to freeze the process, claiming he was entitled to full immunity from prosecution and sentencing as president-elect.
The emergency petition was reviewed by a single appellate judge, Ellen Gesmer, who held a brief hearing before denying the request within half an hour. During the hearing, Justice Gesmer expressed doubt about Trump’s legal arguments, questioning his lawyer, Todd Blanche, whether there was any precedent for presidential immunity extending to a president-elect. Blanche admitted there was no such case, acknowledging, “There has never been a case like this before.”
Justice Gesmer also corrected Blanche when he suggested her decision depended on the immunity of a sitting president, emphasizing that Trump was a president-elect, not the sitting president. While Gesmer’s ruling stands for now, Trump could still attempt to block the sentencing by seeking intervention in federal court or, if necessary, from the Supreme Court.
