A judge has upheld President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush-money case, with sentencing set for January 10, just over a week before he is scheduled to return to the White House. However, Trump is not expected to face jail time.
Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s attempt to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity. He announced that Trump would receive a conditional discharge—a rare and lenient alternative to jail time or probation—though Trump’s conviction will remain on his record.
While Merchan emphasized that he could not finalize Trump’s sentence until he hears from Trump and others involved in the case, his decision to grant a conditional discharge indicates that Trump will avoid serious penalties. Merchan also reinforced the importance of upholding the jury’s guilty verdict on 34 counts related to falsifying business records.
The charges stemmed from an alleged scheme to conceal a hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The judge has scheduled Trump’s sentencing hearing for January 10, with the option for Trump to attend either in person or virtually.
Trump’s legal team has not yet responded to the judge’s ruling, but they had previously indicated plans to appeal any attempt to sentence him before his inauguration.
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