Trump asks Supreme Court to block New York hush money conviction

President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to block criminal proceedings in his hush money case in New York. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday.

The court has asked New York prosecutors to respond to Trump’s request by Thursday morning to give the justices time to act before the sentencing hearing.

“This court should order an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the new filing.

They argue that the case should not be pursued because Trump is protected by presidential immunity, as recognized by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

“The Supreme Court’s historic decision on immunity, the Constitution and established precedent demand that this baseless hoax be immediately rejected,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.

On Tuesday, a New York appeals court judge declined to block the ruling.

Trump was convicted in May of falsifying documents related to hush money that his then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential election. Daniels testified that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, a claim he denied.

Trump’s lawyers argue that some evidence at trial focused on official actions he took while in the White House. They are also taking the unprecedented step of saying that an elected president should have the same protection from prosecution as a sitting president.

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, initially postponed Trump’s scheduled sentencing in July after the Supreme Court’s ruling this month set a new standard for presidential immunity.

However, Merchan later concluded that Trump does not enjoy immunity until he is sworn in as president. He then ordered Trump to announce a verdict on 34 counts of falsifying business records on Friday morning.

The Supreme Court’s controversial ruling on presidential immunity came in a separate case accusing Trump of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Since Trump is about to become president again, this process has now been stopped.

The court ruled that certain official acts of presidents cannot be prosecuted. Actions taken by a president in his or her personal capacity would not be protected.

Trump’s request to the Supreme Court was filed by attorney D. John Sauer, whom the presidential candidate plans to appoint as attorney general, his administration’s top court lawyer. Another Trump lawyer listed in the filing, Todd Blanche, is Trump’s choice for deputy attorney general.