The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a state lawsuit on Monday that would have temporarily blocked New York Judge Juan Merchan from sentencing former President Donald Trump until after the November election. The lawsuit also would have paused the gag order against the former president.
In July, Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit against the state of New York in an effort to delay Trump’s sentencing for the felony charges the former president was convicted of in May. Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records. The former president was accused of covering up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels; however, Trump has repeatedly denied the accusations.
“Missouri’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied, and its motion for preliminary relief or a stay is dismissed as moot,” the Supreme Court ruled in a brief order on Monday. “Justice Thomas and Justice Alito would grant the motion for leave to file the bill of complaint but would not grant other relief.”
The Supreme Court’s decision allows Merchan to move forward with Trump’s sentencing. However, Fox 59 reported on Tuesday that Merchan postponed a court ruling regarding the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity until September 16. The ruling had previously been expected on Sept. 6, with the former president expected to be sentenced on September 18.
In his lawsuit against New York, Bailey claimed that the criminal case against the former president violated the First Amendment right of Missouri residents to “hear from and vote for their preferred presidential candidate.”
READ MORE: Trump moves to overturn conviction after major Supreme Court ruling: Report
“Instead of letting presidential candidates campaign on their own merits, radical progressives in New York are trying to rig the 2024 election by waging a direct attack on our democratic process,” Bailey argued. “I will not sit idly by while Soros-backed prosecutors hold Missouri voters hostage in this presidential election.”
Republican attorneys general from Alaska, Florida, Montana, and Iowa also filed a brief in support of Missouri’s lawsuit, according to Reuters.
Following Monday’s ruling, Bailey criticized the Supreme Court for failing to “exercise its constitutional responsibility” and threatened to take further action against the Biden-Harris administration’s prosecution of Trump.
“It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court refused to exercise its constitutional responsibility to resolve state v. state disputes,” Bailey said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “I will continue to prosecute our lawsuit against @KamalaHarris @JoeBiden‘s DOJ for coordinating the illicit prosecutions against President Trump.”
