Judge To Sentence Trump Before Inauguration In Hush Money Case

Donald Trump will be sentenced on January 10 in a criminal case for which he was convicted for silencing a porn star by paying hush money and falsifying business record, a New York judge ruled on Friday (local time). The judge also added that Trump will face no legal penalties for his conviction in the case, CNN reported. Judge Juan Merchan, upholding Trump's conviction, set the sentencing on January 10, however, he indicated that the case is essentially over.

Trump had appealed to throw out the jury's verdict because of his reelection in November, CNN reported. The judge in his ruling said that imposing no penalty would bring "finality" to the case while allowing Trump to continue pursuing an appeal of the conviction.

"A sentence of an unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality and allow Defendant to pursue his appellate options," Merchan wrote. According to CNN, the judge also said that he would allow Trump to appear at the sentencing virtually, to assuage the president-elect's concerns about the "mental and physical demands during this transition period."