Justice Juan M. Merchan on Friday delayed the sentencing of former United States President Donald Trump, in his hush money trial until after the November election.
This was after the judge granted Trump a hard-won reprieve as he navigated the aftermath of his criminal conviction and the pressure of his presidential campaign.
Merchan, who is also weighing a defence request to overturn the verdict on immunity grounds, delayed Trump’s sentencing until Nov. 26, three weeks after the final votes are cast in the presidential election.
The sentencing was initially scheduled for September 18, about seven weeks before election day.
The new date is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, according to the Associated Press.
The delay, the latest bit of good legal fortune for Trump, means the presidential election will be decided without voters knowing if the Republican nominee is going to jail.
In a four-page decision, Merchan explained that he was postponing the sentencing “to avoid any…