FILE — Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump watches a video screen at a campaign rally at the Salem Civic Center, in Salem, Va, Nov. 2, 2024 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File).
President Donald Trump has started the process of appealing his felony convictions in the New York City-based hush-money case, according to a notice of appeal filed Wednesday.
The threadbare filing is the first step in a likely-to-be lengthy process and is a formality that presages the filing of the actual appeal.
The terse document reads: “PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that President Donald J. Trump hereby appeals to the First Department of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York from the judgment of conviction, attached hereto as Exhibit A, dated January 27, 2025, and sentence rendered in the Supreme Court, New York County (Merchan, J.), on January 10, 2025, and further appeals from each and every part thereof and every intermediate order made therein.”
The appeal itself will almost certainly be opposed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
In May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of New York Penal Law Section 175.10, a felony offense that makes it a crime to falsify business records with the intent to commit or conceal another crime or aid in said commission or concealment.
Significant legal wrangling ensued — based on the 2024 presidential election and the U.S. Supreme Court creating the concept of presidential immunity for criminal prosecutions.
On Jan. 3, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied myriad reprieves filed by the 45th and future 47th president’s legal team in a blistering court order — and signaled his intent to proceed with sentencing cabined by practical realities.
On Jan. 6, Merchan denied a stay pending appeal.
The motions-and-arguments battle between Trump and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office came to a head a few days later when the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reject Trump’s request that his sentencing hearing be delayed indefinitely.
But the bark was worse than the bite.
On. Jan. 10, Trump was sentenced by way of “unconditional discharge” — a form of punishment equating to no further consequences which is typically used when a judge determines there is no good reason to impose further legal disability on a convicted criminal defendant.
Earlier this month, the judge mused that such a sentence was the “most viable” way for the yearslong case to finally exit his purview and allow the defendant to exhaust his appellate rights.
Now, Trump is moving up the court ladder with the filing. The motion alerts Merchan that the case will be in the appellate zone soon.
Notably, the president is now represented by a new, five-person team from white-glove law firm Sullivan and Cromwell, LLP.
Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.
