SCOTUS rejects Missouri’s lawsuit against New York over Trump sentencing

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would not hear Missouri’s lawsuit against New York asking the justices to delay former President Donald Trump’s criminal sentencing. Earlier this year a Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 criminal charges of business fraud. Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan scheduled Trump’s sentencing hearing on Sept. 18, less than two months before the 2024 presidential election.

In response, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed the lawsuit last month, saying Trump’s sentencing, and a gag order Merchan placed upon him, hurt Missouri voters. Voters in Missouri did not have the chance to hear from Trump and could not therefore make an informed decision about his candidacy, Bailey reasoned. New York Attorney General Letitia James argued Bailey didn’t have standing to sue because Merchan was a state-level official in another state. She also argued the Supreme Court could not hear the case because it was not a dispute between Missouri and New York.

Dig deeper: Read my report that further explains the background to Missouri’s lawsuit.