New York urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to dismiss Missouri’s risky lawsuit seeking to block former President Trump’s upcoming criminal sentencing, telling the justices they lack jurisdiction.
After Trump was convicted in Manhattan on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) went straight to the nation’s highest court, saying the charge infringed on the constitutional rights of voters and voters. from Missouri.
By suing New York directly, Bailey is attempting to invoke the Supreme Court’s original and exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes between two states.
But in a 48 page responsefiled by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) office on Wednesday, the state told the Supreme Court to reject the effort for several reasons, saying it was based on “pure assertions of bad faith.”
“The Missouri lawsuit is based entirely on an ongoing criminal case between the Manhattan district attorney and former President Trump and presents no real controversy between sovereign states,” James’ office wrote.
“Furthermore, former President Trump has already raised, and New York State courts are already ruling on, the same issues that Missouri seeks to raise,” the response continued. “And Missouri’s claims are manifestly unfounded.”
A New York jury convicted Trump in May of falsifying business records with the intent to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by disguising refunds to his then-middleman, Michael Cohen, as a legal agent. The payments came after Cohen sent porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump before his election.
Trump denies any such case and has promised to appeal his criminal conviction, the first ever for a former US president. His sentencing is scheduled for September 18.
The Missouri lawsuit seeks to block Trump’s sentence and gag order until after the November election, when he hopes to win a second term in the White House.
The lawsuit accuses New York of violating the First Amendment rights of Missouri residents and interfering in the state’s presidential elections.
It forced James to defend the historic criminal prosecution of Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). James separately brought a wide-ranging civil fraud case against the former president, which led to a nine-figure judgment earlier this year.
“Missouri’s requested relief also seriously undermines the integrity of the courts and risks setting a dangerous precedent that encourages a flood of similar, meritless litigation,” James’ office wrote in its response.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
