Days away from his criminal sentencing in New York, President-elect Donald J. Trump is seeking a late-stage rescue from the U.S. Supreme Court that would shut down the case before he returns to the White House.
In an emergency application late Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s lawyers urged the justices to intervene and halt the sentencing, which is scheduled for Friday, 10 days before the presidential inauguration. The filing came after a New York appeals court rejected the same request on Tuesday and sharply questioned the validity of his effort to stave off the sentencing.
Mr. Trump argues that he is entitled to full immunity from prosecution, and even sentencing, now that he is the president-elect. His lawyers have based that claim on a Supreme Court ruling last year that granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts.
“This court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court,” the application said, “to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government.”