Donald Trump's Ruling in the Hush Money Case to Be Announced Before His Inauguration

The judge in Donald Trump's hush money case involving a pornographic film actress announced that his ruling will be made ten days before the inauguration; the judge implied that the ruling would not include prison time. Judge Juan Merchan announced on Friday, January 14, that he would issue the ruling on January 10 (21 Dey) and that Donald Trump would attend the ruling session either in person or online. He specified that he is not inclined to impose a prison sentence on Donald Trump, and the most practical solution would be to issue an unconditional suspension; this legal term generally means a monetary fine or release on conditions. Earlier this year, a Manhattan grand jury found Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts in this criminal case, and Judge Merchan announced in September that to avoid any suspicion, the ruling would be issued after the presidential election. No current or former president in the U.S. has ever been charged or convicted of a crime. This case relates to falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress, on the eve of the 2016 presidential election. In July of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a historic decision regarding another case involving Mr. Trump that he has complete immunity for his official actions. Trump's legal team has argued that this ruling should extend to other cases as well. Steven Chung, a spokesman for Donald Trump, stated regarding the hush money case that it is 'illegal, should never have been brought, and the Constitution demands its immediate dismissal.' Judge Juan Merchan also criticized Trump's 'relentless and baseless attacks' on the judicial system in his ruling on Friday, stating that during the proceedings, he found Trump guilty of 10 counts of contempt for repeatedly violating the court's restrictions on out-of-court statements.