May 30, 2024 11:03 PM
What’s happening now that Trump has been convicted in hush money criminal case
From CNN’s Devan Cole
Former President Donald Trump leaves Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Thursday, May 30, after a jury found him guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
Justin Lane/Pool/Reuters
A New York jury has convicted Donald Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, ending the former president’s weeks-long trial but marking the beginning of a new chapter in the historic case.
Trump now holds the unique position of being the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony and faces the possibility of prison time or probation for crimes stemming from a hush-money scheme he facilitated before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump, who is known for his lengthy appeals of court rulings against him, is likely to appeal the conviction as well, which could significantly delay the sentencing, currently scheduled for July 11.
In light of President Trump’s guilty verdict, here’s what you need to know about the case.
When will Trump be sentenced?
Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET. For now, the former president will remain out of jail while he awaits his sentencing. Prosecutors did not ask for bail for Trump.
Can Trump appeal his conviction?
Shortly after Trump was convicted, his lawyer, Todd Blanche, asked for Marchand’s acquittal despite the conviction, but the judge rejected the perfunctory request.
Can Trump still be elected president?
Richard L. Hazen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, has consistently argued that there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that bars convicted felons from running for the nation’s highest office.
“The Constitution has limited qualifications for running for office (being over 35, being a natural-born U.S. citizen, and living in the U.S. for at least 14 years),” Hasen continued.
Would a conviction mean Trump would lose his right to vote?
Trump is a Florida resident, and as for his just-handed conviction in Manhattan, his right to vote in Florida in November’s election will depend on whether he is sentenced to prison and whether he has completed his sentence by the election.
Florida’s ban on felon voting also applies to people convicted outside the state, but if a Floridian’s conviction was outside the state, Florida follows that state’s laws on how felons can regain their voting rights.
