Trump Will Not Be Sentenced Before Election Day

The New York judge who oversaw Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records announced today that the former president’s sentencing would be postponed until Nov. 26, weeks after Election Day. The decision was a major victory for Trump, who had argued that the previous Sept. 18 sentencing date would unfairly influence the election.

The judge, Juan Merchan, cited the case’s unprecedented nature. “This is not a decision this court makes lightly,” he said. “But it is the decision which, in this court’s view, best advances the interests of justice.”

Trump’s campaign did not celebrate the delay. Instead, it issued a statement saying “there should be no sentencing” at all in what it called an “election interference witch hunt.”

Though the decision will avert a courtroom spectacle in the campaign’s final stretch, the delay could still affect the election. Voters will now be left in the dark about whether the Republican presidential nominee will eventually spend time behind bars. Trump faces up to four years in prison. However, Merchan could impose a shorter sentence or only probation.