Newly elected US President Donald Trump is due to appear at the announcement of the verdict in the bribery case of adult film star Stormy Daniels on January 10.

New York State Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan rejected a petition to overturn the indictment, although he made it clear that the newly elected president will not be behind bars, writes “Ukrainian Truth”.

The judge said that the 78-year-old Trump can attend the announcement of the verdict in person or virtually.

Reuters notes that Judge Merchan's decision means that Trump will have to appear in court just 10 days before his inauguration on January 20 — an unprecedented case in U.S. history.

Before Trump, no US president — former or current — had been charged or convicted of a crime.

Merchan said it would be wrong to overturn the jury verdict, but added that sentencing Trump to prison is inappropriate.

“The court has carefully considered the parties' respective arguments and concluded that overturning the jury verdict is not the best or only way to reconcile the interests,” Merchan said.

Trump, 78, was facing up to four years in prison in the “money for silence” case after a jury in May found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business documentation to pay an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump spokesman Steven Chung criticized the decision, saying the case should never have been brought.

“This illegal case should never have been brought, and the Constitution requires that it be closed immediately,” Chung said.

Merchan announced his sentencing plan, rejecting Trump's request to close the case in connection with his victory in the presidential election. Trump's lawyers have argued that if the case hangs over him during his presidency, it will hurt his ability to run the state.

Merchan rejected this argument, noting that overturning the jury verdict “would undermine the rule of law to an immeasurably greater extent.”

“The defendant's status as president-elect does not require a radical and 'rare' use (by the court) of his powers to satisfy the motion (for annulment),” Merchan wrote in the ruling.

Merchan also rejected Trump's argument, filed in court on December 3, that the dismissal was justified because his “civic and financial contributions to this city and country are too numerous to be counted.”

Recognizing Trump's merits as president, the judge said his public statements exposing the justice system were also a defining factor for him.

“The defendant went to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his disrespect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole,” Merchan wrote. “The character and history of the defendant regarding the rule of law and the third branch of power should be analyzed,” Merchan added. judge, referring to the judiciary. - In this sense, it does not testify in his favor.”

It is about the so-called “porn money” case, in which Trump was found guilty on charges of falsifying business documents in order to hide a payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence before the 2016 US election about sexual contact, which, she said, she had with Trump years earlier.

The “porn money” case was the only one in which Trump's sentence could be announced before the US presidential election: for the rest, even hearings on the merits have not yet begun.