Judge orders Trump to be sentenced in hush money case on Jan. 10

New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has set a date for sentencing in President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case. The judge ruled on Friday that Trump would be sentenced on January 10, under two weeks before he’s set to assume the presidency.

The planned sentencing hearing comes more than six months after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The scheduled date brings to an end the indefinite postponement in sentencing following Trump’s November election win.

In the 18-page order, Merchan tipped his hand and shared that he had no plans to sentence Trump to jail time.

“While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendants opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” he wrote.

While denying Trump's request to vacate the verdict, he shared that he would likely sentence the president-elect to an “unconditional discharge." This sentence without consequences seemed “the most viable solution” to Merchan, granting Trump an opportunity to appeal his conviction without having to face prison time or fines. 

Sentencing has been postponed multiple times since Trump's conviction, once after the Supreme Court established a broader presidential immunity and again as Merchan pushed a hearing until after Election Day to avoid the appearance of political meddling. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg suggested in December that sentencing be held until after Trump’s term ends, an idea Trump’s team rejected. Trump will have the option to appear virtually or in person for sentencing just over a week before he is slated to hold a “victory rally” at a D.C. arena.

Nearly all other criminal proceedings against Trump evaporated in the weeks after his election win. Special Counsel Jack Smith suspended cases concerning Trump's role in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol and handling of classified documents. Still, Merchan said the sentencing must move forward to protect citizens' belief in the "rule of law."

"To vacate this verdict on the grounds that the charges are insufficiently serious given the position Defendant once held, and is about to assume again, would constitute a disproportionate result and cause immeasurable damage to the citizenry's confidence," he wrote.