Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal hush-money case has taken an interesting turn with the sentencing being postponed indefinitely. Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing the case, did not set a new date in his one-page scheduling order on Friday. This development comes in the wake of filings from both prosecutors and defense lawyers regarding the future of the case after Trump's recent win in the 2024 election against Kamala Harris.

Trump's Lawyers' Plea for Case Dismissal

Trump's lead attorney, Todd Blanche, and the president-elect's pick for principal associate deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, have argued that the case should be dismissed. They claim that dismissal is necessary "in order to facilitate the orderly transition of executive power." They pointed out that the US justice department is on the verge of dismissing Trump's federal cases and referred to a departmental memo that bars prosecution of sitting presidents. They argued that if the case proceeds, it would "be uniquely destabilizing" and could "hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs." They asked Judge Merchan to give them until 20 December to file their push for dismissal.

Reasons for Case Dismissal

They contend that as a sitting president is completely immune from any criminal process, so too is President Trump as president-elect. They believe that continuing the case would disrupt the normal functioning of the government. Their filing stated that "Just as a sitting president is completely immune from any criminal process, so too is President Trump as president-elect."

Prosecutors' Response

Prosecutors previously told Judge Merchan that they planned on fighting Trump's expected plans for dismissal. They disagreed that the case should be dismissed simply because appeals wouldn't be decided before his inauguration. While respecting the presidency and understanding the logistical issues, they emphasized that "no current law establishes that a president's temporary immunity from prosecution requires dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution, and that is based on unofficial conduct from which the defendant is also not immune."

The Prosecution's Perspective

The prosecution said that courts must respect the varying constitutional interests – the executive branch's need for independence, and the judicial branch's need for integrity. They told Judge Merchan that there were routes other than outright dismissal, such as "deferral of all remaining criminal proceedings until after the end of defendant's upcoming presidential term."

The Details of the Case

Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in an effort to sway the 2016 election on 30 May. The prosecution said that Trump falsely listed reimbursements to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, who gave the adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her silence about a purported affair with Trump, as "legal expenses." The jury reached their guilty verdict in less than 24 hours. These proceedings were the first time a US president – former or sitting – stood a criminal trial, as well as a conviction.