Supreme Court shoots down Republican challenge to delay Trump’s hush money sentencing

Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money trial won’t be delayed by a long-shot lawsuit from Missouri’s Republican attorney general, whose challenge to a gag order against the former president was shot down by the Supreme Court.

The challenge from Andrew Bailey argued that a gag order and a potential jail sentence against the Republican presidential nominee amounted to election interference and would deprive Missouri voters from hearing the candidate before they cast their ballots.

Justices denied that challenge in a brief order on Monday. The order also noted that Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have allowed Bailey to at least file the suit, but would not have granted him his requested emergency relief.

“New York is working to hijack our national election and jail President Trump. Missourians absolutely have an interest in ensuring that does not happen,” Bailey wrote on X. “The fight is not over.”

After a seven-week trial in Manhattan, a jury convicted Trump on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records against him on May 30.

He was found guilty of submitting fraudulent checks and invoices related to reimbursement payments to his former attorney Michael Cohen, who paid off adult film star Stormy Daniels in the weeks before Election Day in 2016 to avoid her politically damaging story about having sex with Trump from going public.

Before the trial was underway, New York Justice Juan Merchan had issued a gag order — which has been scaled back — to prevent Trump from publicly attacking jurors, witnesses, court staff and staff with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. He violated the order at least 10 times and was fined $10,0000, with a warning from the judge that any future violations could