SCOTUS Won't Intervene in Trump Hush Money Case

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Facts

  • The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Monday dismissed a motion in Missouri v. New York that asked justices to intervene in former Pres. Donald Trump's hush money case by lifting his gag order and deferring his sentencing. They didn't provide a reason for their decision.[1]
  • Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed the lawsuit against the state of New York on July 3, alleging the case against the Republican nominee would violate the First Amendment rights of Missouri citizens to hear from a presidential candidate.[2]
  • Under the US Constitution, SCOTUS has the so-called 'original jurisdiction' in disputes between states, meaning that any interstate lawsuit goes directly to the high court. Such cases are rare but have been seen at least twice since 2020.[3][4]
  • New York's Appellate Division, First Judicial Department last week ruled against Trump's latest appeal to end the March gag order imposed upon him in New York v. Trump. He's currently barred from speaking about court staff, prosecutors and their family members.[5]
  • In May, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign.[6][7]
  • Sentencing in the case, which was initially scheduled for July 11, has been postponed until Sept. 18, as Judge Merchan is set to decide on Sept. 6 whether the verdict should be set aside after the SCOTUS ruling on presidential immunity.[6][7]

Sources: [1]Supreme Court of the United States, [2]Reuters, [3]Politico, [4]CNN, [5]The Washington Times, [6]Daily Wire and [7]Newsmax.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Wall Street Journal. SCOTUS should have intervened in this case. The gag order imposed upon Trump clearly violates the First Amendment rights of every American to receive information and ideas, as established in Stanley v. Georgia.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic. SCOTUS made the right — and obvious — decision by rejecting Missouri's lawsuit. It's completely absurd to claim that the gag order placed on the former president and his impending sentencing amount to election interference.

Predictions