Judge delays ruling on whether to scrap Trump’s conviction in hush money case

A judge on Tuesday put off a key ruling in President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case as his lawyers argued for dismissing it so he can run the country.

New York Judge Juan M. Merchan had been set to rule Tuesday on their earlier request to throw out Trump’s historic conviction for a different reason — because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this summer on presidential immunity. Instead, Merchan told Trump’s lawyers he’d halt proceedings and delay the ruling until at least Nov. 19 so that prosecutors can give their view of what to do in light of the former and future president’s election win last week.

Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors had agreed in recent days to the one-week postponement, according to emails filed in court Tuesday.

Because of the “unprecedented circumstances,” prosecutors need to consider how to balance the “competing interests” of the jury’s verdict and the presidency, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote.