Trump seeks criminal conviction dismissal in New York

Donald Trump's lawyers have formally requested the reversal of his criminal conviction in New York for falsifying records related to payments made to a pornographic film actress. 

This move comes in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling that grants the former president broad immunity from prosecution. 

On July 1, the conservative-majority US Supreme Court ruled to provide Trump with a form of criminal immunity as a former president, a decision seen as a significant win for him amidst facing four criminal cases just months before the presidential election against Democratic US President Joe Biden.

In a document submitted Thursday to Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Trump’s trial in New York, the attorneys called for the dismissal of both the jury's verdict and the indictment. 

Trump was convicted on May 30 of 34 counts for falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment intended to silence actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign.

This trial is historic, as Trump is the first former US president to be criminally convicted. Although sentencing was scheduled for Thursday, it has been postponed following the Supreme Court's ruling.

Judge Merchan confirmed he will decide on Trump's request to overturn the conviction on September 6. If the request is denied, sentencing will proceed on September 18.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated he does not oppose the delay in sentencing but deemed the defense's arguments for overturning the conviction as "baseless."