In a recent court filing made public on Thursday, the Manhattan District Attorney's office argued that former President Donald Trump's conviction for falsifying business records should not be overturned due to the Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity. The filing emphasized the abundance of incriminating evidence against Trump and stated that the Court's decision concerning broad immunity for presidents does not affect the guilty verdict handed down by the jury in May.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office clarified that the Supreme Court's ruling does not undermine the conviction on 34 felony counts, which stemmed from Trump's illegal attempts to conceal a hush money payment to an adult-film actress just before the 2016 election. Trump's legal team contended that jurors were exposed to improper witness testimony and records from his first year in office, arguing that these were extensions of his official duties.

However, prosecutors asserted that the Supreme Court's ruling had no bearing on Trump's conviction and highlighted the overwhelming evidence of his guilt, stating, "Even if that decision required the exclusion of all of the evidence that defendant cites here, there would still need be no basis for disturbing the verdict because of the other overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt."

In response to Trump's motion, Bragg's office affirmed that the evidence affected by the Supreme Court's decision forms only a small fraction of the extensive testimony and documentary proof the jury considered in finding him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all 34 charges.

New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan granted a delay in Trump's sentencing, setting a new date for September 18. This delay allows Trump's defense team the opportunity to argue that the evidence used by the prosecution was inadmissible under the immunity doctrine, which prohibits prosecution based on a president's official acts.

The Supreme Court's controversial ruling, issued on July 1, established that a president cannot be prosecuted for official acts or through the use of evidence related to official conduct, while private conduct is not afforded the same protection. This timeline means that Trump, as the Republican presidential nominee, could potentially receive a jail sentence less than two months before the November election. The outcome could range from a non-jail sentence to a sentence stayed pending the appeal's resolution.

Should Merchan uphold the verdict, the case may be tied up in appeals until after the election, with the possibility of an appeals court imposing a stay on the enforcement of Trump's sentencing. The defense team claims that a significant portion of the evidence used against Trump involved his presidential actions and should have been excluded. They argue that the indictment should be dismissed entirely, given that the district attorney's case relied heavily on prohibited evidence presented to the grand jury last year.

This ongoing legal battle comes amidst a separate civil business fraud case against Trump and his company, which recently resulted in a $450 million finding against them. A New York judge refused to step down from overseeing this case, rebutting claims of influence made by a lawyer not involved in the proceedings.

As the first former president to be convicted of a crime, Donald Trump's sentencing has been postponed to September as his defense seeks to challenge the guilty verdict based on the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity. The sentencing could result in up to four years of imprisonment, although legal experts indicate that incarceration is unlikely. Despite the conviction, Trump remains eligible to campaign and potentially serve as president if elected, though he would not be able to pardon himself. The verdict has received mixed reactions, with Trump asserting his innocence and casting doubt on the trial's fairness, emphasizing that voters will ultimately decide his fate on Election Day.

The charges against Trump revolve around his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which is a felony in New York when there is an intent to defraud or aid in concealing another crime.