Judge Juan Merchan decides whether to delay Donald Trump's Stormy Daniels sentencing until after the election

New York Judge Juan Merchan is set to decide Friday whether to put off scheduled sentencing for Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 18th, just two months before election day. Trump’s lawyers want him to postpone it.

The judge, who Trump repeatedly attacked during his trial, has told the parties he will make his decision on timing Friday. Trump faces up to four years in prison, although experts predict the first-time offender might not get any jail time.

Trump's lawyers tried to have the case removed out of Merchan's Manhattan courtroom and into federal court. They said Merchan shouldn't sentence Trump while that matter is being litigated, and have alleged that fall sentencing amounts to 'election inteference.'

DA Alvin Bragg's office has said the judge should decide, but said in a filing that Trump's complaints about the timing of the case 'are a function of his own strategic and dilatory litigation tactics.' A lawyer in Bragg's office said the decision is set to come down Friday.

The high-stakes decision comes as Trump, who scheduled a press conference for Friday, attended court in a separate case where his las lawyers are appealing a $5 million judgement against him in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case.

Trump's move to appear in the Carroll appeal case came a day after he decided not to show up in a court hearing in Washington, D.C. about the status of his January 6 case.

In that case, he had lawyer John Lauro communicate his 'not guilty' plea related to his election overturn effort.

In the Stormy Daniels hush money case, Trump's team has tried to delay sentencing on two occasions. 

He was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payoffs to the porn star.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the case, and on Thursday evening accused election rival Kamala Harris of engineering it. (Trump previously accused President Joe Biden of being behind his prosecution).

'This is what various Legal Scholars and Experts, Brilliant Lawyers, and Highly Respected Journalists think of the Manhattan D.A. Hoax, where the Democrats, headed up by Comrade Kamala Harris, working directly with the DOJ (which they’re not supposed to be!), want to put a Former President of the United States, and the Leading Candidate for President, in PRISON. This is unheard of, there has never been anything like it in our Country, and they are doing it in a blatant and illegal attempt to “win” an Election that, based on their results, should be “unwinnable,” but I can’t talk about it because Judge Merchan has put an UnConstitutional Gag Order on me. Somehow it will ALL work out - I don’t know how, I don’t know why, I don’t know when, but it always does!'

Although Merchan could give Trump a sentence of as many as four years, legal experts have said a sentence of probation or community service is more likely.