NY Appeals Court Denies Trump Bid to Halt His Sentencing

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

70% : On Thursday, prosecutors argued that Trump was taking the "extraordinary" step of asking a federal court to intervene in a state proceeding, before the conviction had been finalized, and before the formal appeal's process had even begun.
60% : Now, Trump has one last hope: the U.S. Supreme Court.
52% : Mr. Bragg had alleged that in 2016, with Election Day nearing, Trump's then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to buy her silence about her claim that she had a single sexual encounter with Trump at a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe in 2006.
38% : As the Sun reported, Trump had asked the justices on Wednesday to enter "an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government.'
38% : The sentencing is scheduled to take place at Manhattan criminal court on Friday at 10am, and Judge Merchan has offered Trump the opportunity to appear virtually to minimize any burden.
37% : Yet on July 1, hours after the Supreme Court published its immunity decision, Trump's attorneys asked Judge Merchan to dismiss the hush-money verdict and the indictment, arguing Mr. Bragg used evidence during the trial that stemmed from the time Trump served his first term as president.
35% : Unlike the New York courts, heavily populated by Democrats, the high court has a conservative supermajority and Trump chose three of the justices.
34% : Trump appears intent to avoid the sentencing, coming just days before he is inaugurated.
34% : Trump, they argued, had been charged and tried when he was as a private citizen, and the only reason he had not been sentenced yet, after a jury found him guilty six months ago, was because he had requested to postpone the sentencing again and again.
32% : Thursday's ruling, by a Democratic judge, is the third denial this week for President Trump, who is seeking to avoid being formally enshrined as a convicted felon just ten days before his inauguration.
31% : But Trump, citing his unique role as a once and future president, is arguing that the sentencing should not take place before his appeal to dismiss the entire case is considered.
27% : "Mr. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who brought the case against Trump, filed his reply brief on Thursday.
26% : In May of last year, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony charges of falsification of business records in an alleged scheme to interfere with the 2016 election.
24% : If the Nine should deny Trump's request, Trump will be sentenced.
23% : Trump was scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.
21% : Trump denies all charges and says he never had sex with Ms. Clifford.
9% : Trump was accused of directing Cohen to wire the money to Ms. Clifford and then disguise Trump's reimbursement to Cohen as a legal fee.

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