U.S. Supreme Court rejects Trump's request to delay Friday sentencing

The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday night rejected President-elect Donald Trump's appeal to delay his Friday morning sentencing hearing. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in connection with his New York business fraud case. A jury in May convicted Trump of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

What reasons did the high court give for rejecting the appeal? The one-page ruling denied the appeal on two grounds. First, the court said Trump's claim that evidence was improperly admitted into the record during his trial can be addressed during the normal appeals process, without intervention by the Supreme Court. Second, the high court said the anticipated sentence will not pose a substantial burden on President-elect Trump's official duties when he assumes office. The judge in Trump's state trial has previously indicated he is likely to sentence the president-elect to an unconditional discharge.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh disagreed with the high court's decision and would have granted the appeal, according to the ruling.

Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan scheduled Trump’s sentencing hearing for Friday at 9:30 a.m.