New York: A Manhattan judge, Juan Merchan, overseeing the trial of President-elect Donald Trump, approved on Tuesday a suspension of all deadlines related to felony indictment proceedings against Trump in the recent months leading up to his assumption of office. This decision enables President Trump to avoid a maximum penalty of up to 4 years in prison. According to Jordan News Agency, Judge Merchan agreed to the request to pause all deadlines, including the sentencing date set for November 26, to consider the impact of his election as president. Trump's legal team also filed a motion today to dismiss the charges. A Manhattan jury had indicted Trump in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to alleged hush money payments to an American actress. Earlier this year, Judge Merchan had agreed to postpone court proceedings for 4 months, pushing subsequent actions beyond the presidential election. At that time, he set today, November 12, as the deadline to determine the best course of actio n going forward. Today's decision follows a ruling by the Supreme Court on July 1, which stated that presidents should enjoy a near-absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for most actions taken in their official capacity as head of state.
