The lawyers of the incoming American President, Donald Trump, asked a judge on Monday to postpone the hearing at which the 78-year-old Republican would have been sentenced for his conviction in the so-called hush money case.

The postponement is to allow the lawyers to file an appeal.

According to the lawyers, filing the appeal should automatically put the current trial on hold. If that does not happen, Judge Juan Merchan should grant a recess and adjourn the verdict.

Merchan announced late last week that Trump would hear his sentence on Friday. The judge also announced that he is not inclined to impose a prison sentence. According to Merchan, “an unconditional discharge” is the best option. This means that Trump will not be punished with a prison sentence or a fine but that the finding that he committed a crime will remain.

Stormy Daniels
The case concerns hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have slept with Trump. She received hush money from Trump’s then-fixer in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. A jury last year found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal that he was paying that lawyer back.

On January 20, Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, becoming the first president ever to face a conviction.