By: Katie Nelson

Center Editor

On Jan. 10, President-elect Donald J. Trump became the first president to be found guilty of a felony. The case, known as the “hush money” trial, convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records with the president receiving an unconditional discharge. The discharge spares him of any penalty, including jail time, probation, or a fine. The Manhattan Judge, Jaun M. Merchan, decided his sentencing was “the only lawful sentence, without encroaching upon the highest office of the land,” implying that Trump’s inauguration restores some degree of presidential immunity against further sentencing. Trump vows to further appeal Merchan’s decision once he takes office to expunge “convicted felon” from his record. 

The case ensued for a year and a half after numerous appeals that advanced to the Supreme Court. The accusations initially began against Trump at the end of the 2016 election, in which prosecutors argued that Trump’s falsification of records regarding his payments to film star Stormy Daniels should be considered election interference due to the suppression of vital information about a candidate. 

After several appeals, the case proceeded in January 2025 when the Supreme Court denied Trump’s application to forestall it. Merchan then ordered the sentencing to proceed, rejecting Trump’s lawyer’s renewed appeals to reschedule while they asked the New York state courts to reverse the conviction. 

Trump appeared virtually in the courtroom from his Mar-A-Lago home beside his defense attorney Todd Blanche, who is also projected to be the Number Two official at the Justice Department for the incoming Trump administration. Although Trump remained silent for much of the trial, he used his final opportunity during the hearing to insist that he was “not guilty” and that the entire thing was “a witch hunt” and “a terrible experience.” As he did in many of his other trials, Trump seized the opportunity in court to admonish the justice system by arguing that the conviction against him was part of a political attack by his opponents. 

In the four years between Trump’s presidential terms, he has faced four criminal charges. However, the hush money case was the only one to go to trial with Trump  avoiding prosecution for the allegations involving election interference and mishandling classified documents. The final case surrounding interference in Fulton County, Georgia, has yet to continue as District Attorney Fani Willis appeals to the Supreme Court to reverse the judge’s decision of rejecting the six counts against Trump. Jack Smith, the Special Counsel who led the two prosecutions of Trump, recently resigned from the cases on Jan. 11, as the Justice Department regulations make it impossible to prosecute a sitting president. 

The ambiguity surrounding the immunities granted as a president is much disputed and a historically new situation. While there is still much controversy over the case, it nevertheless marks a monumental court decision that will serve as an example case for the future. 

(Sources: AP, BBC, CBS, NBC, NPR, NY Times, Wabe)