this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2025
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The sentencing procedure for our first criminally convicted felon President is due to begin at 9:30 AM Eastern/6:30 AM Pacific.

Let's keep all the comments and posts wrangled here.

Live coverage should be... Oh, I'm just going to say "everywhere". CNN, MSNBC, etc. etc. This is history so everyone should have it.

Edit As expected, Trump is appearing remotely.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-sentencing-01-10-25/index.html

Prosecution is asking for more time to read the probation report, apparently they haven't read it yet.

Prosecution wants "Unconditional Discharge" then layed out every reason why it shouldn't be unconditional. Trump showed no remorse, believes he's above the law, that the court has no authority over him.

Defense is now making their presentation.

Trump is now speaking, underlining everything the Prosecution stated. Unrepentant, defiant, disrespectful.

Judge Merchan is addressing the court and CNN cuts away to cover California. LOL.

No live broadcasting the sentencing, but audio will be available after.

7:09 AM - Sentenced to Unconditional Discharge.

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[–] baronvonj@lemmy.world 76 points 4 days ago (4 children)

So .. his sentence is literally nothing?

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 40 points 4 days ago (13 children)

As a convicted felon, he has the same restrictions felons have, but that's it.

[–] billiam0202@lemmy.world 33 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Surely this means the party of law and order won't support him, right?

Right?

...right?

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Across the street from my development is a retired cop who has a nursery/lawn care business staffed with Mexicans and had a giant, "I'm voting for the felon."

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[–] Dragomus@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago

"Hello, how nice of you to show up. Prosecution has proven you did a bad thing. The law says this bad thing is punishable, but since you think it is not proven we defer to your opinion and will not bother you with repercussions for your actions. Sorry to have wasted your time and have a nice day"

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah and they set the stage with the charges that were all not subject to mandatory sentencing. This is what they were looking for the entire time.

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (3 children)

No, they set the stage when they took a zillion years to bring up charges in the first place. They could have brought these charges up in 2020 when he left office but they decided to sit on the case forever.

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[–] BadlyTimedLuck@lemmy.world 41 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You know, this makes me think of Luigi and how his sentencing will go. I assume: he will be sentenced to public execution, and be used as a martyr for the rich to send a message for us peasants,"this is what happens when you want to play hero"

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (3 children)

The only way they get the death penalty is convicting on 1st degree murder w/ terrorism and that's looking like too high a bar. Too many prospective jurors going "Well, I wasn't terrorized..."

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 14 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

It'll be fucking hilarious if their overzealousness causes him to be found not guilty.

This is an instance where jury nullification would be extremely just though I stand by my original statement - the optimal outcome for everyone after the murder would have been if no one was arrested and it remained unsolved.

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[–] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'd love to believe you, but apparently, what's legal matters less than a loud, wet fart into a diaper.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 days ago

As an example, Jeffy Epstein got the death penalty for a lesser charge

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Completely unserious legal system. It's no wonder people try to hard cancel healthcare executives when the law is this powerless to stop evil. When the next vigilante murder happens, I want the country to remember that no one feels protected by the law when the law continually demonstrates itself to be powerless at stopping the ownership class.

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[–] saigot@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Could someone explain a non corrupt use of an unconditional discharge? I'm confused how such a sentence is even permissable under the system at all

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Because incoming president. It's clear had this been anyone else (Michael Cohen) or had Trump lost the election, he would have done time.

[–] saigot@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah I understand why in this specific case, the obvious corruption. But the framework of laws allowed this abuse, and I want to know why this is even possible, why is unconditional discharge a sentence that is allowed to be handed out, because to me, I can't see a not corrupt way it could be applied, and it doesn't seem like a new thing, just a rare thing.

From my own research I found this: https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/unconditional-discharge-trump-sentencing-hush-money-rcna187044

Which isn't a totally satisfactory answer, but is at least some examples of it being used elsewhere.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Some states have laws with "mandatory minimum sentencing", but in this case it seems either New York doesn't have that, or the laws broken here aren't part of the mandatory minimum guideline.

From a PDF here:

https://www.innovatingjustice.org/sites/default/files/media/document/2022/Summary_NY_Felony_Sentencing.pdf

"However, today, while most drug felonies in New York are excluded, minimums still apply for most people convicted of any other felony charge—whether violent or non-violent—if they have a prior felony conviction within the past ten years.

Even absent such a criminal history, minimums continue to apply to most convictions where the current charge is a violent felony."

So in the Trump case, no priors, not violent, minimums don't apply.

NOW - If he has ANOTHER felony, he does have prior convictions and it's a different ballgame.

[–] Yodan@lemm.ee 32 points 4 days ago (4 children)

It's difficult to accept any laws now. There's no reason to follow any if the shining example of what this country has to offer is a multiple convicted rapist felon two time impeached orange orangutan who gets rewarded with being president. Again.

You can't simultaneously say "follow the rules" when the guy saying it is a rule breaker extraordinaire.

[–] Bonesince1997@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

Other people will be held accountable. Just not this entitled criminal rapist insurrectionist president guy.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 days ago

Rules for thee and not for me.

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[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Judge wussied out; Lady Justice confirmed absent from the US.

Buckle up, folks. We're in for a wild ride.

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[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 30 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Plot twist: Sentence - Death.

(I can dream)

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Anything short of "you're free to go" could give him a stroke...

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 11 points 4 days ago

Don’t get my hopes up

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[–] credo@lemmy.world 26 points 4 days ago (2 children)

On Friday, Justice Juan M. Merchan sentenced Donald J. Trump to an unconditional discharge, a rare and lenient sentence in New York state courts that still cements Mr. Trump’s status as a felon before his inauguration.

“You’ve been sentenced to.. continue doing what you’ve been doing.”

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[–] BigBenis@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This country is such a fucking joke.

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[–] bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 4 days ago

Trump is shuffling in his chair as prosecutor speaks

Donald Trump is shuffling in his chair while prosecutor John Steinglass speaks. He appears to be leaning forward to look at the screen.

Thank you CNN for the riveting updates

[–] morgan_423@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Listen really closely, and you'll hear the gentle whisper of the slight disturbance of the air as he gets his gentle, barely-touch-skin wrist slapping.

[–] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Followed by six months of him whining about it

[–] billiam0202@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The only way Trump whines about this for just six months is if he dies in six months.

[–] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

Please don’t get my hopes up

[–] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Why the fuck did they even try him if there's no consequence for a conviction? A waste of everyone's time and money.

Ice been incredibly furious about this all day. This fucking criminal flaunts his lawlessness in everyone's faces and walks away without so much as a fucking fine! Fuck, Luigi had the right ide!

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

There MIGHT have been if he hadn't won re-election. I guess we'll never know.

[–] zbyte64@awful.systems 19 points 4 days ago

Seems our institutions are promoting barbarism at this point. As Luigi put it: it's just power games at this point.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Trump can eat my unconditional discharge.

Fucking stupid country.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

I had that unconditional discharge once, shot of penicillin cleaned it right up! ;)

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[–] randon31415@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago

You may think that the punishment is nothing, but this level of punishment if he was an immigrant would be enough to deport him under Laken Riley Act. And if you think "Oh, they won't pass that, the democrats are filibustering it, well..."

[–] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

I am so fucking angry about this. It's just going to embolden the orange duck to commit more, worse crimes. He won't ever leave the White House. This country is so fucked.

[–] ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

My hopes are zero and with how thoroughly this reality has let Trump off the hook, I'm still not sure if I'm prepared enough. I'm predicting at this point the court will sentence him to be president for life, just to be sure they don't appear biased.

Edit: Unconditional discharge. Ok. Sure. Who needs justice to apply to all people equally under the law anyway?

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[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Not surprised the result is nothing but does this have no knock on legal effects? Like is there a chance this gets used as precedence in some way?

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Biggest effect is he's a felon, so no gun ownership. It's possible it will constrain foreign travel if certain countries don't allow felons to enter, that kind of thing.

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Neither of these really matter in practice, though.

First, I doubt Trump owns a gun in the first place. He'd find a way to point at the ground, fire, and still miss. Second, no country is going to deny entry to a sitting President of the US. Third, it's Trump. At this point, he could have a Commando-style arsenal in a shed and they wouldn't press charges anyway.

Our justice system was unwilling to do anything about Trump hoarding national security secrets in a golf club bathroom. If that didn't get him a permanent stay at ADX-Florence, they're not gonna throw his ass in jail over a couple of guns.

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[–] A_A@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Corrupt USA's governance is decaying further.

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