• Four-year delay in sentencing Trump in the NY Case?

    From Rick@21:1/5 to All on Thu Nov 21 01:16:39 2024
    The prosecution in the NY case against Trump is apparently willing to
    delay sentencing until 2029 when Trump will be out of office. Without addressing the actual merits of the conviction, isn't this a pretty
    overt violation of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a speedy trial?
    After all, you would think the actual sentencing would be a pretty
    important component of a trial in the event of conviction, and a
    four-year+ delay is anything but speedy. Are there any major known
    cases where the announcement of the sentence following conviction was
    delayed this long?

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  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to Rick on Thu Nov 21 13:09:10 2024
    On 11/21/2024 1:16 AM, Rick wrote:
    The prosecution in the NY case against Trump is apparently willing to
    delay sentencing until 2029 when Trump will be out of office.  Without addressing the actual merits of the conviction, isn't this a pretty
    overt violation of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a speedy trial?
    After all, you would think the actual sentencing would be a pretty
    important component of a trial in the event of conviction, and a
    four-year+ delay is anything but speedy.  Are there any major known
    cases where the announcement of the sentence following conviction was
    delayed this long?

    Not that I can think of. But... the right to a speedy trial belongs to
    the accused, not to the world in general. So I can't think of any reason
    not to postpone sentencing until he leaves office (presumably January
    20, 2029), if the prosecution and the judge are amenable.


    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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  • From Stan Brown@21:1/5 to Rick on Thu Nov 21 13:06:54 2024
    On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 01:16:39 -0800 (PST), Rick wrote:

    The prosecution in the NY case against Trump is apparently willing to
    delay sentencing until 2029 when Trump will be out of office. Without addressing the actual merits of the conviction, isn't this a pretty
    overt violation of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a speedy trial?

    As you rightly quote, the Sixth Amendment guarantees the defendant
    the right to a speedy _trial_. He got that (modulo the numerous
    delays his legal team created as part of their -- alas -- successful
    strategy of running out the clock in hopes he would become President
    again).

    The amendment says nothing directly about the speed of _sentencing_,
    which is what's being delayed. I'm sure the judge would be delighted
    to sentence Trump now, if Trump offered some credible assurances that
    he would actually serve out his sentence. It seems to me that the
    judge had two unpalatable alternatives: delay sentencing till Trump
    could no longer make the argument that jail time would interfere with
    his Presidential duties, or give him a slap-on-the wrist sentence
    that didn't involve jail time. Of the two, which do _you_ think
    serves the interests of justice less poorly?

    After all, you would think the actual sentencing would be a pretty
    important component of a trial in the event of conviction, and a
    four-year+ delay is anything but speedy.

    As I understand things, a trial ends with the pronouncement of the
    verdict, and at least in serious crimes the sentencing is part of a
    separate hearing. Victims may be given a chance to speak to the judge
    in open court, for instance.

    Are there any major known
    cases where the announcement of the sentence following conviction was
    delayed this long?

    No, because there's never been a case where a felon was elected
    President of the United States.

    --
    Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
    Shikata ga nai...

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  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to Stan Brown on Fri Nov 22 06:14:58 2024
    On 11/21/2024 1:06 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
    As I understand things, a trial ends with the pronouncement of the
    verdict, and at least in serious crimes the sentencing is part of a
    separate hearing. Victims may be given a chance to speak to the judge
    in open court, for instance.

    Yes, the trial ends with the pronouncement of the verdict, but the judge
    will usually delay sentencing if the case is at all complex. (Might do
    it even with a guilty plea.)

    And the label "felon" attaches only after sentencing.

    So Trump is _technically_ not a felon and won't be until after the judge sentences him. Contrary to what a lot of mainstream news-people have
    been saying.

    Btw, the usual sentence for this sort of thing is a fine, so he wouldn't
    spend time behind bars anyway. Pity that.
    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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  • From Roy@21:1/5 to Barry Gold on Fri Nov 22 07:47:22 2024
    On 11/22/2024 6:14 AM, Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/21/2024 1:06 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
    As I understand things, a trial ends with the pronouncement of the
    verdict, and at least in serious crimes the sentencing is part of a
    separate hearing. Victims may be given a chance to speak to the judge
    in open court, for instance.

    Yes, the trial ends with the pronouncement of the verdict, but the judge
    will usually delay sentencing if the case is at all complex. (Might do
    it even with a guilty plea.)

    And the label "felon" attaches only after sentencing.

    So Trump is _technically_ not a felon and won't be until after the judge sentences him. Contrary to what a lot of mainstream news-people have
    been saying.

    Btw, the usual sentence for this sort of thing is a fine, so he wouldn't spend time behind bars anyway. Pity that.


    Does the delay in sentencing affect the ability to appeal the verdict?
    There was a lot of chatter about evidence and witnesses being improper.

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  • From Ken@21:1/5 to Barry Gold on Fri Nov 22 11:39:03 2024
    Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/21/2024 1:16 AM, Rick wrote:
    The prosecution in the NY case against Trump is apparently willing to
    delay sentencing until 2029 when Trump will be out of office.  Without
    addressing the actual merits of the conviction, isn't this a pretty
    overt violation of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a speedy trial?
    After all, you would think the actual sentencing would be a pretty
    important component of a trial in the event of conviction, and a
    four-year+ delay is anything but speedy.  Are there any major known
    cases where the announcement of the sentence following conviction was
    delayed this long?

    Not that I can think of. But... the right to a speedy trial belongs to
    the accused, not to the world in general. So I can't think of any reason
    not to postpone sentencing until he leaves office (presumably January
    20, 2029), if the prosecution and the judge are amenable.


    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029? Could another
    judge determine the sentence? One would think not.

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  • From Rick@21:1/5 to Ken on Fri Nov 22 14:55:57 2024
    On 11/22/2024 2:39 PM, Ken wrote:
    Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/21/2024 1:16 AM, Rick wrote:
    The prosecution in the NY case against Trump is apparently willing to
    delay sentencing until 2029 when Trump will be out of office.
    Without addressing the actual merits of the conviction, isn't this a
    pretty overt violation of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a speedy
    trial? After all, you would think the actual sentencing would be a
    pretty important component of a trial in the event of conviction, and
    a four-year+ delay is anything but speedy.  Are there any major known
    cases where the announcement of the sentence following conviction was
    delayed this long?

    Not that I can think of. But... the right to a speedy trial belongs to
    the accused, not to the world in general. So I can't think of any
    reason not to postpone sentencing until he leaves office (presumably
    January 20, 2029), if the prosecution and the judge are amenable.


    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029?  Could another
    judge determine the sentence?  One would think not.


    I'm pretty sure under New York law a new judge would be appointed to
    take over the case who would review all transcripts, exhibits, etc.
    before sentencing.

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  • From John Levine@21:1/5 to All on Fri Nov 22 14:56:28 2024
    According to Ken <[email protected]>:
    Not that I can think of. But... the right to a speedy trial belongs to
    the accused, not to the world in general. So I can't think of any reason
    not to postpone sentencing until he leaves office (presumably January
    20, 2029), if the prosecution and the judge are amenable.


    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029? Could another
    judge determine the sentence? One would think not.

    Sure they could. Judges can die or become disabled in the middle of a
    case, and there are processes to assign the case to someone else.

    Four years is not an unusually long time. The first AT&T antitrust
    case was filed in 1949 and settled in 1956. Then the government sued
    again in 1974 which was settled in 1982 in what was technically an
    amendment to the 1956 settlement.
    --
    Regards,
    John Levine, [email protected], Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
    Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly

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  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to Ken on Fri Nov 22 15:19:51 2024
    On 11/22/2024 11:39 AM, Ken wrote:
    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029?  Could another
    judge determine the sentence?  One would think not.

    I can't think why not. It surely must happen from time to time that a
    judge dies or is incapacitated or even disqualified during a trial.
    AFAIK they just bring in another judge. Juries have to be continuous,
    they must hear all the evidence. But a judge is only needed to rule on questions of law that arise during the trial, and I can't think of any
    reason why another judge couldn't step in and rule on any questions that
    arise after they take over. Maybe taking an hour or two to acquaint
    theirself with past issues and rulings.

    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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  • From Mike Anderson@21:1/5 to Barry Gold on Thu Apr 10 08:32:47 2025
    On 11/22/2024 6:19 PM, Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 11:39 AM, Ken wrote:
    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029?  Could another
    judge determine the sentence?  One would think not.

    I can't think why not. It surely must happen from time to time that a
    judge dies or is incapacitated or even disqualified during a trial.
    AFAIK they just bring in another judge. Juries have to be continuous,
    they must hear all the evidence. But a judge is only needed to rule on questions of law that arise during the trial, and I can't think of any
    reason why another judge couldn't step in and rule on any questions that arise after they take over. Maybe taking an hour or two to acquaint
    theirself with past issues and rulings.


    Juries always have a couple of alternates in case something happens to
    one or a couple of the twelve. And once they start deliberations, it's
    only the twelve that are involved.

    But what happens if, say, there's a courtroom shooter or an outbreak of
    FHD (Fatal Hangnail Disease) that takes out six of the jury members
    during the trial or if one has a heart attack during deliberations?

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  • From Rick@21:1/5 to Mike Anderson on Fri Apr 11 01:48:50 2025
    On 4/10/2025 11:32 AM, Mike Anderson wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 6:19 PM, Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 11:39 AM, Ken wrote:
    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029?  Could another
    judge determine the sentence?  One would think not.

    I can't think why not. It surely must happen from time to time that a
    judge dies or is incapacitated or even disqualified during a trial.
    AFAIK they just bring in another judge. Juries have to be continuous,
    they must hear all the evidence. But a judge is only needed to rule on
    questions of law that arise during the trial, and I can't think of any
    reason why another judge couldn't step in and rule on any questions
    that arise after they take over. Maybe taking an hour or two to
    acquaint theirself with past issues and rulings.


    Juries always have a couple of alternates in case something happens to
    one or a couple of the twelve. And once they start deliberations, it's
    only the twelve that are involved.

    But what happens if, say, there's a courtroom shooter or an outbreak of
    FHD (Fatal Hangnail Disease) that takes out six of the jury members
    during the trial or if one has a heart attack during deliberations?


    That would almost certainly cause a mistrial and the case would likely
    be retried with a new jury. Assuming, of course, the defendant wasn't
    also taken out by the shooter/FHD.

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  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to Mike Anderson on Fri Apr 11 01:50:25 2025
    On 4/10/2025 8:32 AM, Mike Anderson wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 6:19 PM, Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 11:39 AM, Ken wrote:
    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029?  Could another
    judge determine the sentence?  One would think not.

    I can't think why not. It surely must happen from time to time that a
    judge dies or is incapacitated or even disqualified during a trial.
    AFAIK they just bring in another judge. Juries have to be continuous,
    they must hear all the evidence. But a judge is only needed to rule on
    questions of law that arise during the trial, and I can't think of any
    reason why another judge couldn't step in and rule on any questions
    that arise after they take over. Maybe taking an hour or two to
    acquaint theirself with past issues and rulings.


    Juries always have a couple of alternates in case something happens to
    one or a couple of the twelve. And once they start deliberations, it's
    only the twelve that are involved.

    But what happens if, say, there's a courtroom shooter or an outbreak of
    FHD (Fatal Hangnail Disease) that takes out six of the jury members
    during the trial or if one has a heart attack during deliberations?


    If something happens to three(*) or more jurors, I suspect the result
    would be subject to negotiation between the judge and the defense. One possibility would be to simply bring in new jurors and go through all
    the evidence, arguments, etc. for the newly reconstituted jury. After
    all, the original trial has not ended (that occurs only after the jury announces the verdict), so just hearing/seeing the evidence again should
    not constitute "double jeopardy".

    (*) Assuming two alternate jurors

    The original reason for the Fifth Amendment's ban: "nor shall any person
    be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or
    limb" was that the English-controlled government would try somebody for
    some crime, the jury would bring in a "not guilty" verdict, and the
    government would just ignore the verdict and hold a new trial. The
    colonists (quite sensibly) objected.

    So if the trial isn't "over", there's no reason not to continue. The
    other alternative - if the defense agrees to it - is to bring in more
    jurors and do everything from opening statements to closing arguments
    again. Or perhaps the defense would petition for a "mistrial"
    (essentially a do-over) and just impanel a whole new jury and do it
    again. Why would the defense favor that? What if the remaining jurors
    are unfavorable to the defendant. The defense lawyer might prefer a
    whole new jury and a complete do-over.

    Note: if the defense requests a mistrial and the judge agrees, that
    doesn't violate "double jeopardy".
    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to Mike Anderson on Fri Apr 11 01:51:12 2025
    On 4/10/2025 8:32 AM, Mike Anderson wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 6:19 PM, Barry Gold wrote:
    On 11/22/2024 11:39 AM, Ken wrote:
    What would happen if the judge was not alive in 2029?  Could another
    judge determine the sentence?  One would think not.

    I can't think why not. It surely must happen from time to time that a
    judge dies or is incapacitated or even disqualified during a trial.
    AFAIK they just bring in another judge. Juries have to be continuous,
    they must hear all the evidence. But a judge is only needed to rule on
    questions of law that arise during the trial, and I can't think of any
    reason why another judge couldn't step in and rule on any questions
    that arise after they take over. Maybe taking an hour or two to
    acquaint theirself with past issues and rulings.


    Juries always have a couple of alternates in case something happens to
    one or a couple of the twelve. And once they start deliberations, it's
    only the twelve that are involved.

    But what happens if, say, there's a courtroom shooter or an outbreak of
    FHD (Fatal Hangnail Disease) that takes out six of the jury members
    during the trial or if one has a heart attack during deliberations?


    If something happens to three(*) or more jurors, I suspect the result
    would be subject to negotiation between the judge and the defense. One possibility would be to simply bring in new jurors and go through all
    the evidence, arguments, etc. for the newly reconstituted jury. After
    all, the original trial has not ended (that occurs only after the jury announces the verdict), so just hearing/seeing the evidence again should
    not constitute "double jeopardy".

    (*) Assuming two alternate jurors

    The original reason for the Fifth Amendment's ban: "nor shall any person
    be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or
    limb" was that the English-controlled government would try somebody for
    some crime, the jury would bring in a "not guilty" verdict, and the
    government would just ignore the verdict and hold a new trial. The
    colonists (quite sensibly) objected.

    So if the trial isn't "over", there's no reason not to continue. The
    other alternative - if the defense agrees to it - is to bring in more
    jurors and do everything from opening statements to closing arguments
    again. Or perhaps the defense would petition for a "mistrial"
    (essentially a do-over) and just impanel a whole new jury and do it
    again. Why would the defense favor that? What if the remaining jurors
    are unfavorable to the defendant. The defense lawyer might prefer a
    whole new jury and a complete do-over.

    Note: if the defense requests a mistrial and the judge agrees, that
    doesn't violate "double jeopardy".

    Many years ago, my wife was one of two alternate on a jury (civil
    trial). At the very end of the trial, one of the jurors had a family
    emergency (close relative dying or very sick and needing family help).
    The judge tossed a coin and my wife was chosen. She'd heard all the
    evidence and arguments, so the jury just went into deliberations as if
    nothing had changed.


    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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  • From Jethro_uk@21:1/5 to Barry Gold on Fri Apr 11 09:24:09 2025
    On Fri, 11 Apr 2025 01:50:25 -0700, Barry Gold wrote:

    The original reason for the Fifth Amendment's ban: "nor shall any person
    be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or
    limb" was that the English-controlled government would try somebody for
    some crime, the jury would bring in a "not guilty" verdict, and the government would just ignore the verdict and hold a new trial. The
    colonists (quite sensibly) objected.

    I think the prohibition against double jeopardy predates the American revolution.

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  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to All on Fri Apr 11 15:34:28 2025
    On 4/11/2025 9:24 AM, Jethro_uk wrote:
    The original reason for the Fifth Amendment's ban: "nor shall any person
    be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or
    limb" was that the English-controlled government would try somebody for
    some crime, the jury would bring in a "not guilty" verdict, and the
    government would just ignore the verdict and hold a new trial. The
    colonists (quite sensibly) objected.
    I think the prohibition against double jeopardy predates the American revolution.

    In fact it dates back to the Magna Carta in 1215.

    But the governors sent by Parliament/King ignored that right, along with
    others (e.g., that taxation went with being able to elect Members of Parliament). This was one of the major factors that led to the American Revolution.

    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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  • From Roy@21:1/5 to All on Sat Apr 12 14:11:05 2025
    Just to refresh my memory on the status of the case

    May 30 2024: Trump was found guilty. Trial continues to sentencing.

    Jan 10 2025: Sentenced to unconditional discharge. This means no
    punishment but the conviction still stands. The trial is now over

    Jan 29 2025: Trump appeals to NY First Department. Didn't find any
    status on this

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