US supreme court declines to halt Trump’s sentencing in hush-money case

The US supreme court on Monday rejected a bid by the state of Missouri to halt Donald Trump's upcoming sentencing for his conviction in New York on felony charges involving hush money paid to a porn star and left a related gag order until after the 5 November presidential election.

The decision by the justices came in response to a lawsuit by the state of Missouri claiming that the case against Trump infringed on the right of voters under the constitution to hear from the Republican presidential nominee as he seeks to regain the White House.

The supreme court's order was unsigned. Conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito indicated they would have heard Missouri's case.

Trump was found guilty in May of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she has said she had with Trump. Prosecutors have said the payment was designed to boost his presidential campaign in 2016, when he defeated Hillary Clinton.

Trump, the Republican candidate in this year's election, denies having had sex with Daniels and has vowed to appeal his conviction after his sentencing, scheduled for September.

Missouri's Republican attorney general Andrew Bailey filed a 3 July lawsuit against New York state asking the supreme court to pause Trump's impending sentencing and the gag order placed on him by New York state judge Juan Merchan.