Trump asks NY judge to reverse guilty verdict and indictment after SCOTUS immunity ruling.

Former President Trump has taken a significant step in response to his recent guilty verdict in New York v. Trump. Following a ruling by the Supreme Court affirming presidential immunity for official acts, Trump has formally requested Judge Merchan to overturn the verdict.

In a groundbreaking criminal trial that unfolded over six weeks, Trump was found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records. The trial was a result of an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump’s defense attorney, Todd Blanche, lodged the formal motion for the verdict reversal on Thursday evening. The motion argues that the indictment should be dismissed and the jury’s decision vacated due to violations of the Presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause.

Since the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, Trump has been planning to challenge his criminal conviction in the Manhattan case. Blanche highlighted in the motion that evidence of official acts should not have been permissible during the trial, citing various instances where such evidence was presented.

In his defense, Blanche pointed to Trump’s disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics during his presidency, seeking to invalidate the use of official-acts evidence against him. The motion argues that the evidence presented by Bragg to the grand jury contradicted the principle that presidents cannot be indicted for conduct they are immune to prosecution for, as outlined by the Supreme Court.

Blanche further contended that Bragg unconstitutionally used official-acts evidence during grand jury proceedings, leading to politically motivated charges in the case. According to the motion, the tainted indictment demands dismissal of the charges against Trump.

Moreover, the Supreme Court’s decision does not make allowances for exceptions like overwhelming evidence or harmless errors, as the institutional interests at hand are of paramount importance. Blanche emphasized that even the idea of a trial violating presidential immunity doctrines is constitutionally impermissible, rendering any trial results invalid.

Originally scheduled for sentencing before the Republican National Convention, where Trump is poised to be officially nominated as the 2024 GOP presidential candidate, the proceedings have been postponed. Judge Merchan granted Trump’s request to delay sentencing, moving the hearing to September 18, with an uncertain need for its continuation.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, in a 6-3 decision, was prompted by a separate federal case against Trump brought by special counsel Jack Smith. This case relates to the events of the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6 and any alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, to which Trump pleaded not guilty.