Judge Delays Donald Trump's Sentencing In Hush Money Case: Reports

NEW YORK CITY — A judge on Friday postponed sentencing in former President Donald Trump's hush money case until after the November election, according to multiple reports, which means voters won't know if Trump will spend time behind bars before casting their votes.

In a ruling, Judge Juan M. Merchan cited the “unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in” and rescheduled Trump's sentencing for Nov. 26, the New York Times reported. Trump previously was scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18, seven weeks before Election Day.

"This is not a decision this court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this court’s view, best advances the interests of justice," Merchan wrote in the decision obtained by the Times. The judge also called the case a "matter... that stands alone, in a unique place in this nation’s history."

In May, a Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. At the heart of the charges were reimbursements paid to Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for not going public with her claim about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.

Prosecutors said the reimbursements were falsely logged as “legal expenses” to hide the true nature of the transactions.

The case was the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial and is the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president. Trump could face up to four years in prison. He has denied all wrongdoing and initially pleaded not guilty.

Defense attorneys had pushed for a delay in sentencing by petitioning the judge and asking a federal court to intervene, the Associated Press reported. They argued that punishing the current Republican nominee for president in the middle of his campaign would amount to election interference.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office deferred to the judge and did not take a position on the delay request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.