The Manhattan judge overseeing the trial of President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to allow a stay of any deadlines for felony convictions against him in the final months before Trump took office; This is a closely watched decision that allows Trump to avoid a maximum prison sentence of up to $100,000. He was sentenced to up to four years in prison.

Judge Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the case, granted the request to postpone all deadlines, including the Nov. 26 sentencing date, to evaluate the impact of the presidential election.

Prosecutors had requested a break in the hearings, which they said would allow them to better evaluate the impact of Trump’s new status as president-elect.

“The public agrees that these are unprecedented circumstances,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote in his letter to Judge Merchan.

Trump’s lawyers, who requested that the charges be dropped completely, also supported the decision.

Trump was convicted in May Manhattan jury A lawsuit has been filed on 34 charges of falsifying business records stemming from a lawsuit regarding payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

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Former President Donald Trump (left) speaks with his attorney Todd Blanche during a financial records hearing in Manhattan at the end of the day. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool, via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Earlier this year, Merchan agreed to a four-month delay in court proceedings, postponing further steps until after the 2024 presidential election.

He had set Nov. 12 as a self-imposed deadline to decide how best to proceed.

The decision came after the hearing Supreme Court said A July 1 decision ruled that presidents should enjoy presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for most actions taken as president.

Writing for a 4-3 majority, the justices said presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from any actions taken within the scope of “fundamental constitutional powers” as commander in chief.

The presumption of immunity also applies to other actions taken while in office, they said.

But it is unclear whether a president would be afforded the same level of constitutional protection for state convictions, and the issue has never been tested in court.

Trump officials praised the pause in court hearings on Tuesday. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital that the pause “makes it abundantly clear that Americans want an immediate end to the weaponization of our justice system, including in this case.” So we can unite our country and work together for the good of our nation.

The Nov. 12 deadline is separate from the sentencing hearing for 34 convictions, which was previously set for Nov. 26.

Rather, it was a self-imposed deadline that would allow Merchan to consider Trump’s presidential immunity claims and whether the Supreme Court’s July ruling on the scope of immunity would apply at the state level.

Even if Trump’s convictions are upheld, the president-elect has numerous ways to appeal the case or drop the charges against him before his sentencing hearing on Nov. 26; That means it’s almost certain he won’t end up behind bars again.

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Former President Donald Trump (left) attends the first day of his trial in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 15. Judge Juan Merchan poses for a photo in his chambers on March 14 in New York City. (Angela Weiss/AFP via AP, HAVUZ/AP)

The first would be to move the case from state to federal court; Trump’s lawyers tried twice and failed in the months before the election. But given Trump’s status as president-elect, the request to move the case to federal court now carries more weight.

If that fails, Trump’s lawyers will likely appeal the convictions before the sentencing hearing, using the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling as justification for dismissing the charges.

They are also likely to use the immunity claim to toss out some of the evidence used by prosecutors in the New York case, including the testimony of former White House communications director Hope Hicks.

Even if all this fails, legal experts and former prosecutors have completely rejected the idea that Trump would face prison time for his convictions.

“Understand, even if Merchan is sentenced, Trump will not go to jail. Although the charges are felonies, they are not serious enough to warrant immediate arrest under New York law; Trump will be released on bail pending appeal,” Andrew McCarthy said. former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York he wrote in a column Last week for Fox News Digital.

Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York on March 14, 2024, in this file photo. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

If Merchan had moved to preserve the convictions intact, he could have sought additional guidance from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, including whether Trump should be subject to state convictions as a sitting president, a question that has never been tested before.

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Trump’s legal team would almost certainly appeal any conviction. Supreme Courtif necessary.

Trump is protected from federal convictions because of a long-standing Justice Department policy that prevents U.S. attorneys from suing a sitting president.

But that precedent was never applied to state convictions, giving Judge Merchan slightly more leeway in deciding how to proceed.

The main entrance of the Trump Tower building in Manhattan. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

His decision comes just days after special prosecutor Jack Smith filed a motion in Washington, D.C., to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Trump.

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Smith was tapped in 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate both alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results and secret documents Trump allegedly kept at his Florida home after leaving the White House. In 2020.

Although those charges have not been formally dropped, the special counsel appears to be moving in that direction, and Smith said his team plans to provide an updated report on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr he told Fox News Digital State and local prosecutors and judges need to drop the “spectacle” of prosecuting the president-elect.