Trump sentencing in hush-money case delayed until September

A New York judge has delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing until September as his lawyers seek to challenge his conviction after a Supreme Court ruling.

Trump was initially scheduled to be sentenced on 11 July. His legal team asked for his conviction to be overturned after the nation’s highest court ruled that former presidents had partial immunity for “official” acts during their presidency.

Justice Juan Merchan said on Tuesday that he would issue a decision on the motions by 6 September. If sentencing is necessary, the judge wrote, it will take place on 18 September. In May, a New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president ever convicted of a felony.

Prosecutors said Trump had reimbursed his fixer, Michael Cohen, for paying hush money to an adult film star on the eve of the 2016 election - and tried to cover them up by falsely labeling them as legal expenses. It is the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial.

On Monday, the US Supreme Court released a bombshell ruling that found Trump - and other former presidents - had immunity from prosecution for "official acts". The challege arose from a federal criminal case against Trump over his attempts to overturn results of the 2020 election, but it could have ripple effects in several of his legal battles.