Report: NY judge adjourns Trump hearing without explanation, delaying sentencing

Donald Trump's sentencing for 34 criminal charges in the state of New York was abruptly adjourned by the court Tuesday, according to Bloomberg News, a decision that gives the presiding judge additional time to weigh how to proceed in the case.

The reportedly delayed sentencing came on the same day that District Attorney Alvin Bragg was slated to file a recommendation to Judge Juan Merchan on how to proceed. Fox News was not able to independently confirm the reporting.

The adjournment itself is not a dismissal of the charges against Trump. Rather, it takes a previously scheduled Nov. 26 sentencing date off the calendar as the court weighs how to proceed in considering the case against the president-elect.

Next steps in the case remain unclear. Judge Merchan can move to either delay Trump's sentencing until after he leaves the White House, can dismiss the conviction outright, or can grant a sentence of unconditional discharge, which would leave the conviction intact but free Trump from any prison time, fines, or probation.

Trump was convicted in May by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from a case about payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, which could have landed him a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. 

But the presidential race — and Trump’s victory — had thrown the timeline for court proceedings into a fog of uncertainty.

The presiding judge in the New York case, Judge Juan Merchan, granted a request from prosecutors earlier this month to stay all deadlines associated with the New York case, including a planned sentencing date of Nov. 26, in wake of Trump's election victory.

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"The People agree that these are unprecedented circumstances," prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said in their request, which he added  would allow for prosecutors to better evaluate the impact of his election as president.

Trump's attorneys, who have pushed to vacate the charges against him completely, also backed the stay. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July that presidents should enjoy presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for most actions taken as president, further complicating the path forward in the New York case.

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The high court ruled that presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from any actions taken within the scope of "core constitutional powers" as commander-in-chief. 

A presumption of immunity also applies to other actions taken while holding office, they said.

It is not clear whether a president is to be afforded the same level of constitutional protection for state convictions, however, and the matter has never been tested in court.

Bragg's office has insisted its case is focused solely on Trump's personal behavior, not his actions as president. 

Trump, for his part, has repeatedly characterized the case as a politically motivated "witch hunt," a refrain frequently used by the president-elect in an attempt to discredit his critics, political opponents, and prosecutors at the state and federal level. 

Even if Trump’s convictions were to be upheld, the president-elect has myriad ways to appeal the case or get the charges against him dismissed before the Nov. 26 sentencing hearing — making it all but certain he will face no time behind bars.

This is a breaking story. Updates to follow.