In a ruling that comes as no surprise to legal experts, the Supreme Court declined on Monday to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Missouri, which sought to block legal proceedings in the hush money case against former President Donald Trump in New York. Many commentators have dismissed the lawsuit as a political stunt aimed at garnering publicity rather than a legitimate legal claim.

The brief order issued by the Supreme Court noted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both conservatives, expressed support for allowing Missouri to file its lawsuit directly with the court. However, they did not grant the emergency relief that was sought. This aligns with their approach in similar cases involving one state suing another.

Former President Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, in reimbursement for payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Daniels testified that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, an allegation he has denied.

Judge Juan Merchan of New York had issued a gag order ahead of Trump's trial, but later relaxed some of the restrictions, allowing the former president to speak about the witnesses who testified and the jury. However, Trump is still prohibited from making comments about court staff, individual prosecutors, and family members involved in the case.

It remains uncertain whether Trump will be sentenced before the upcoming November election. The initial sentencing, which was scheduled for July, has already been delayed until at least September.

Missouri Attorney General Scott Bailey, who took the unusual step of suing the state of New York before the Supreme Court, argued that the gag order and potential sentence impeded Missouri voters from receiving relevant information from Trump during the campaign. However, New York Attorney General Letitia James dismissed the claims, stating that there was no basis for the Supreme Court to intervene and that Trump already had the ability to discuss all relevant topics.

Prior to the trial, Trump was fined for violating the original gag order, specifically in relation to his remarks about Michael Cohen, a key witness in the case. Bailey, who was appointed attorney general by Missouri Governor Mike Parson when the incumbent moved to the Senate in 2022, is now running for a full term in office.