Judge Merchan stated on Friday that the sentence will be handed down in a week – on January 10 – in the trial concerning Trump and payments of hush money to a porn actress. Merchan also said that Trump must be present in the courtroom or participate via video link.
Merchan, who serves at the criminal court on Manhattan, decided to postpone the sentence until after the presidential election in November, in order to dispel any suspicion of interference in the election.
The judge wrote – albeit indirectly – that Trump will not be sentenced to prison.
In an 18-page decision, Merchan explained the reasons why the judgment against Trump should be enforced, despite the US Supreme Court having established that a head of state in the US has a high degree of legal immunity.
According to Merchan, the immunity applies only from January 20, when Trump is sworn in as president again.
Donald Trump reacted with anger to the news and announced through his spokesperson Steven Cheung that it was a "violation" of his legal immunity.
Trump was convicted on 34 counts in May last year by a jury in New York.
