On Friday, Alan Dershowitz, a professor at Harvard Law School, shared his belief that former President Trump’s conviction in the New York hush money case will indeed be appealed, although it hasn’t been filed yet. In January, the Supreme Court declined to block Trump’s sentence, even as Judge Juan Merchan indicated plans for an unconditional discharge that wouldn’t involve prison time, fines, or probation. Dershowitz pushed back during an appearance on “Records with Greta Van Susteren,” addressing concerns that Merchan might be stalling the case.
“The lawsuit will be appealed. Trump is suing Sullivan and Cromwell for their legal representation,” Dershowitz stated, responding to Van Susteren’s comment about the improbability of the case ever reaching an appeals court. “He’ll start with the Appeal Division, then move to the Court of Appeals, and ultimately to the Supreme Court. There will be an appeal.”
Even though the court initially suggested it might question its jurisdiction over a conviction without a final sentence, Dershowitz was optimistic that the appeal would progress.
“He received a sentence that wasn’t technically a claim, but it could suffice to close the case and allow him to appeal. As far as I know, I don’t think they’ve filed the brief yet, but I do believe an appeal is on the table,” he explained, not holding back on his skepticism about the strength of the Manhattan case.
“I think they’ll handle the appeal. They’re perhaps attempting to overturn their previous stance. If they don’t reverse the conviction, the High Court likely will. This is the weakest case I’ve encountered in 60 years of practice,” Dershowitz added.
A Manhattan judge found Trump guilty of a felony count related to falsifying a business record connected to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump attended the verdict hearing remotely, asserting that the payment was simply a “legal expense” and denying any fraud.
Following that, Trump announced his intention to appeal the verdict through a post on Truth Social. “A real jury has spoken, and I’ve been overwhelmingly sent for re-election in one of the most significant elections in history. As the American public can see, there’s no crime, no damage, no evidence, and no law in this ‘incident’,” he stated.
