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From NBC News: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in a long-shot lawsuit brought by Missouri attempting to block legal proceedings in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case in New York.
The court rejected Missouri’s bid to sue the state of New York, meaning the justices will not lift the gag order or delay sentencing in the unusual claim brought by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican who is running for a full term this fall.
Many commentators said the filing was more of a political stunt aimed at gaining publicity than a serious legal claim.
The brief order noted that two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, would have allowed the state to at least file its lawsuit directly at the Supreme Court although they would not grant the emergency relief that Bailey wanted. That tracks their approach in similar cases involving one state suing another.
Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had charged Trump with 34 counts of “falsifying business records” for simply categorizing an alleged “hush money” payment to Trump’s then-attorney as a ‘legal expense.’ Bragg claimed it was a campaign expense, and a Manhattan jury then found Trump “guilty.”
New York Judge Juan Merchan first set the sentencing for July 11, then delayed it until Sept. 18. It is still uncertain whether Merchan will actually hold the sentencing on that date.
“Merchan is also set to decide by Sept. 6 whether to set aside Trump’s guilty verdict based on the Supreme Court’s ruling that he is entitled to immunity from federal prosecution for official acts taken while in the White House,” CBS News reported.
Bailey reacted to the ruling, writing in a social media post, “It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court refused to exercise its constitutional responsibility to resolve state v. state disputes. I will continue to prosecute our lawsuit against @KamalaHarris [and] @JoeBiden’s DOJ for coordinating the illicit prosecutions against President Trump.”
It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court refused to exercise its constitutional responsibility to resolve state v. state disputes.
I will continue to prosecute our lawsuit against @KamalaHarris @JoeBiden’s DOJ for coordinating the illicit prosecutions against President Trump
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) August 5, 2024
The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in a long-shot lawsuit brought by Missouri attempting to block legal proceedings in former President Trump’s hush money case in New York. https://t.co/5qFneab9o9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 5, 2024
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