Trump Sentencing: Legal, Constitutional Issues Stir Debate

Former President Donald Trump, now the president-elect, faces a historic crossroads in American jurisprudence as he awaits sentencing Friday in a New York courtroom. Convicted on 34 felony counts related to falsified business records, Trump's case is as much about the legal intricacies of criminal justice as it is about the constitutional and political ramifications of potentially sentencing a president-elect to prison.

Trump speaks with Justice Alito amid push to halt criminal sentencing

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito spoke to President-elect Donald Trump by phone Tuesday to recommend one of his former law clerks for a job in the new administration, ABC News has learned.

"William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position," Justice Alito confirmed to ABC News Wednesday. "I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon."

Justice Alito says he spoke with Trump about former clerk before hush-money filing to high court

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump the day before Trump’s high court appearance but said they did not discuss an emergency application the former president's legal team planned to file to delay the sentencing. 

Alito told Fox News' Shannon Bream he was asked if he would accept a call from Trump regarding a position that his former clerk, William Levi, is being considered for, and praised Levi’s "outstanding resume." 

Alito confirms call with Trump; says emergency order not discussed

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday confirmed a call with President-elect Trump, also saying they did not discuss an emergency application from Trump to block his upcoming sentencing in his New York hush money case. “William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position,” Alito said in a statement. “I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon,” Alito added. “We did not discuss the emergency...

Alito Spoke With Trump Shortly Before Supreme Court Filing

“We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and indeed, I was not even aware at the time of our conversation that such an application would be filed,” the justice said. “We also did not discuss any other matter that is pending or might in the future come before the Supreme Court or any past Supreme Court decisions involving the president-elect.” Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, an advocacy group that seeks more openness at the Supreme Court, said the call was unseemly. “No one...

Judge upholds Trump’s felony conviction, but does not plan to order jail time

President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on 34 counts of falsifying business records ahead of his swearing-in Jan. 20 but is not expected to face jail time, a judge ruled Friday.

The decision to uphold Trump’s conviction and schedule the sentencing for Jan. 10 almost certainly means Trump will be the first felon to serve as a U.S. president.