In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, former President Donald Trump has called for Judge Juan Merchan to throw out his guilty verdict in the Manhattan business records trial. Trump’s lawyers have requested permission to file a motion to overturn the guilty verdict, citing the court’s decision that a former president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within their constitutional authority.
The lawyers have also asked Merchan to postpone Trump’s sentencing, pending consideration of whether the Supreme Court’s immunity decision has affected the guilty verdict. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention begins.
While the request to have the conviction overturned may be a long shot, Trump’s lawyers are likely to argue that prosecutors built their case partly on evidence from his time in the White House. This could potentially undermine the guilty verdict, according to legal experts.
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, Democrats have raised concerns about the implications of presidential immunity. If reelected, Trump could potentially use the ruling to go after his political opponents, they argue.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has announced plans to file articles of impeachment against unnamed justices on the court, citing the ruling as a threat to democracy.
