The US Supreme Court denied President-elect Trump's request to postpone his sentence on Friday in the criminal hush-money case, despite his last-minute effort.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court denied Trump's request for an automatic delay of his sentence, despite his pleading with the court to do so, as Fox News reported.

In 2016, Trump was convicted of document fraud for using legal bills to cover up his $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Overseeing the case, Justice Juan Merchan has made it clear that he will not contemplate a prison sentence for Trump.

Trump Reaction

In a statement to reporters on Thursday night, the soon-to-be president called the case a "disgrace" while praising the Supreme Court's "fair decision, actually."

"It's a judge that shouldn't have been on the case," he said, apparently referring to Justice Merchan, and adding "they can have fun with their political opponent".

"The pathetic, dying remnants of the Witch Hunts against me will not distract us," he posted later on his Truth Social platform.

Judge's Sides

In rejecting Trump's motion for a postponement, two conservative justices on the court, Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts, joined three liberals.

Trump would have been successful in his attempt to delay punishment if the other four judges—Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito—had agreed.

However, Alito was criticized for recommending one of his former law clerks for a position in the new president's administration in a phone conversation with Trump the day before the ruling.

Prior to Thursday night's judgment by the Supreme Court to allow the sentencing to go forward as planned, three lower New York courts had denied Trump's motion to delay.

Ruling Details

The high court rejected Trump's request because they thought his issues could be handled on appeal. They went on to say that going to a sentence was an "insubstantial" hassle.

A question that Trump's legal team had brought before the Supreme Court was whether or not president-elects enjoy special protection from criminal prosecution.

There was "no basis for such an intervention" and a "compelling public interest" in holding the sentencing, according to Manhattan prosecutors, who argued that the Supreme Court should reject Trump's appeal.

Ruling Delay

Although Trump's sentencing was originally scheduled for July following the May 2024 guilty finding by the jury, his attorneys were able to convince Justice Merchan to postpone the sentencing on three consecutive occasions.

The sentencing is scheduled for 10 January, according to Justice Merchan's announcement last week. This is just days before Trump takes the oath of office again.

In an effort to delay the sentence, Trump's lawyers have filed a barrage of appeals and other legal documents in the days after.