Trump's hush money sentencing delayed after US Supreme Court ruling

Following a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court on the immunity of US presidents, a New York judge on Tuesday delayed the sentencing of Donald Trump in a criminal case concerning hush money payments.

If sentencing is necessary, judge Juan Merchan wrote in a letter to the parties to the trial, it would take place on September 18.

The sentencing had previously been set for July 11.

The background to this is that Trump is challenging the judgement against him following a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on Monday. The judgement states that US presidents enjoy extensive protection from prosecution for official actions in office.

The move by Trump's lawyers was expected and is likely to be futile because the New York case centres to a significant extent on actions that took place before his presidency.

In May, a jury in New York found the ex-president guilty on 34 charges. The trial centred on the illegal concealment of hush money payments to a porn actress.

It was the first time in the history of the United States that a former president was convicted of a criminal offence. In the worst case scenario, Trump could face several years in prison.

US President Joe Biden criticized the Supreme Court's ruling, calling it a "dangerous precedent."

He warned that every president, including his predecessor and potential successor Trump, would now be free to ignore the law.