A New York judge denied President-elect Donald Trump's request to dismiss his hush-money case and scheduled his sentencing for January 10th, ten days before his inauguration. Judge Juan Merchan indicated that Trump would likely receive an unconditional discharge, avoiding jail time, fines, or probation. Merchan emphasized that vacating the verdict would damage public confidence in the rule of law. Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records related to hush money payments. He criticized the ruling as a "Rigged Charade" and vowed to fight politically motivated cases. Trump has the option to appear for sentencing virtually or in person.
