Trump to be sentenced for “hush money” conviction before inauguration

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? Politics By January 3, 2025 / 3:56 PM EST / CBS News CBS News Live Before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House he will return to the courthouse, a New York judge ruled Friday. Justice Juan Merchan will sentence Trump for his crimes on Jan. 10, a court proceeding that will be unlike any in America’s 248 years. Trump’s conviction in New York stemmed from a $130,000 so-called “hush money” payment his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election.  Justice Juan Merchan’s ruling ends two months of speculation — and back and forth jockeying by Trump’s attorneys and prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — following Trump’s narrow election victory on Nov. 5.  Trump became the first former president ever convicted of crimes in May, when a unanimous jury found him guilty in the New York case. Sentencing in the case was stalled for months as Trump campaigned for a return to the presidency. In November, he became the first person voted into the White House after a criminal conviction. Graham Kates Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com © 2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.