The Supreme Court rejected a long-shot bid from Missouri to remove a gag order in former President Donald Trump’s hush-money case and delay his sentencing.
Why it matters: The decision allows legal proceedings in New York to move forward despite Missouri’s efforts to intervene, with potential political implications as Trump aims for another presidential run.
The details:
- Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey argued that the gag order wrongly limits what Trump can say on the campaign trail, and his eventual sentence could affect his ability to travel.
- Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have allowed Bailey to file the suit but not grant his push to quickly lift the gag order and delay sentencing.
- Democratic Attorney General Letitia James argued that appeals are moving through state courts, and there’s no state-on-state conflict that would allow the Supreme Court to weigh in at this point.
Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records arising from what prosecutors said was an attempt to cover up a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election.
What they’re saying:
- “It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court refused to exercise its constitutional responsibility to resolve state v. state disputes,” Bailey said in a post on social media.
- “This still doesn’t mean the sentencing will happen in September and if it does, it will be appealed faster than the Democrats dropping Biden,” said David Gelman, legal surrogate and attorney for Trump.
The background: The lawsuit alleges that the investigations and prosecutions against Trump were politically motivated and coordinated by high-ranking officials, including Matthew Colangelo, who moved from the DOJ to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to aid in the prosecution of Trump.
What’s next: Trump’s legal team has indicated plans to appeal any sentencing that may follow the recent conviction. His sentencing has been delayed until at least September.
Full story
As expected, #SCOTUS has rejected Missouri’s misbegotten effort to invoke its “original” jurisdiction to freeze the gag order + sentencing in New York’s prosecution of former President Trump.
Thomas + Alito stick to their (consistent) view that the Court *must* hear such cases. pic.twitter.com/JCW48FyNcl
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) August 5, 2024
The Supreme Court has rejected a long-shot effort by Missouri to block the sentencing of former President Donald Trump in his New York hush money case. The court also denied Missouri’s request to lift a gag order against Trump. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey had filed a lawsuit arguing that the legal proceedings against Trump were politically motivated and coordinated with the Department of Justice to disrupt his campaign activities.
Bailey claimed that the prosecution aimed to weaken Trump’s campaign by keeping him off the trail. However, the Supreme Court denied Missouri’s motion to intervene in the case. The rejection allows the legal proceedings in New York to move forward despite Missouri’s efforts.
JUST IN: The Supreme Court has denied Missouri's lawsuit against NY seeking to block DA Alvin Bragg's prosecution of Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/DqagoP6jy1
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 5, 2024
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by a New York jury in May.
It was going to Shapiro all along: He’s a number of things Harris needs … Relatively young, Popular gov of important state, moderately Zionist etc, and she identifies with him, professionally, personally and politically…
Kamala Harris VP pick
https://t.co/YGzc2GLsvc— Marwan (@marwanbishara) August 5, 2024
His sentencing is scheduled for September 18, but his legal team has indicated plans to appeal any sentence that may follow the conviction.
Court denies blocking Trump sentencing
"The court rejected Bailey’s argument without comment." #SCOTUS didn't accept @AGAndrewBailey's case calling on it to intervene to stop @realDonaldTrump's sentencing in porn star #hushmoney case #MoAG24 #moleg via @J_Hancock https://t.co/ZXFQnmsSmo
— Rudi Keller (@RudiKellerMI) August 5, 2024
David Gelman, a legal surrogate and attorney for Trump, criticized the Missouri AG’s efforts as a “Hail Mary” attempt to involve the Supreme Court. Gelman suggested that even if the sentencing occurs in September, it will be quickly appealed. The case against Trump has been led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
They have been pursuing both criminal and civil cases against the former president. Attorney General Bailey, who is running for a full term in office this fall, expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision. He argued that the court had a constitutional responsibility to resolve disputes between states.
The rejection by the Supreme Court marks a setback for Trump’s legal team and their efforts to delay or prevent the sentencing. As the legal battles continue, discussions are ongoing about the potential political implications for Trump’s presidential campaign.
- APNews.”Supreme Court shuts down Missouri’s long shot push to lift Trump’s gag order in hush-money case”.
- Yahoo.”Supreme Court rejects effort to block Trump sentencing, Hurricane Debby looms over Southeast, and Simone Biles wins final Paris medal”.
- FoxNews.”Supreme Court rejects Missouri effort to block sentencing, gag order against Trump in New York case”.