It's Time to Sentence Trump in New York

Sharing my column in The Atlantic

As we’ve discussed here before, one of the many troubling things about Trump’s re-election is that he will largely avoid accountability in his four criminal cases. The federal cases are going away. The unwieldy Georgia state case is mired in appeals, and even if it ultimately goes forward the state will not be allowed to put the sitting president on trial.

New York Justice Juan Merchan

That leaves New York, where Trump was convicted last May on 34 felony counts. The case had been set for sentencing on November 26, but the judge recently granted the parties’ joint request to pause the proceedings while they consider how to respond to the election results. They are due to report back to the judge this Tuesday.

Trump’s attorneys and supporters are arguing that the election results mean all his criminal cases should be dropped — including the case in New York, where a jury has already found him guilty. That makes no sense to me. The election and the trial are independent events. Just as the criminal cases did not prevent Trump’s election, the election should not prevent the sentencing.

The judge can fashion a sentence that will not interfere with Trump’s presidential duties. And as a legal and historical matter, it’s important for the criminal process to be completed.

I had a column in The Atlantic today explaining why I think the sentencing must go forward, and wanted to share a free link with Sidebars subscribers:

Trump’s New York Sentencing Must Proceed - The Atlantic

We’ll see what happens on Tuesday.

All the best,

Randall