Donald Trump’s political comeback has now upended the criminal cases against him.

What You Need To Know

  • The judge in Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush money case is expected to announce a major decision about the future of the case next week

  • After his conviction in May, Trump’s sentencing was delayed following a Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity

  • Trump’s victory in the presidential race this week could complicate matters even more

On Friday, a judge granted Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to pause Trump’s federal Jan. 6 election interference case.

The Justice Department has a longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.

In New York City, there are new questions about the hush money case against Trump brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Weeks after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts, the Supreme Court found presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, prompting Judge Juan Merchan to put Trump’s sentencing on hold.

“Judge Merchan is going to rule on Tuesday regarding the immunity decision, the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and whether it’s applicable to Mr. Trump’s conviction a few months ago,” former Manhattan prosecutor Bonnie Sard explained.

Judge Merchan may now also be weighing whether to even move forward with sentencing Trump in the hush money case at all, considering defendant Trump is now also a president-elect.

“I don’t see a situation where Judge Merchan, when he looks at everything in the big picture, sentences the current, or president-elect, to any term of incarceration or for anything, community service or probation,” Jeremy Saland, a criminal defense attorney, told NY1.