The request, filed by Missouri Attorney General (AG) Andrew Bailey, was denied by the federal high court on Aug. 5. Originally slated for July, New York State Supreme Court Acting Justice Juan Merchan moved the sentencing until Sept. 18 to give Trump more time to appeal the conviction. Merchan's decision also came in light of an earlier U.S. Supreme Court decision in July stating that Trump is immune from any criminal prosecution for acts done in his official capacity as U.S. president.

Meanwhile, the office of Bailey – a Republican – filed a motion to have the date moved again to after the election. The top attorney for the Show-Me State argued that the hush money case interfered with Trump's ability to campaign. He also asked the high court to lift the gag order Merchan imposed on the former president as this impacts his ability to present his side of the story to voters.

However, the high court dismissed Bailey's request without expounding on the move, according to USA Today. The dismissal order noted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both conservatives, would have at least permitted Missouri's lawsuit to be filed. Nevertheless, it did not confirm whether the two magistrates would have ultimately ruled in favor of Bailey's motion.

The Missouri AG took to X to express his disappointment toward the high court, slamming its refusal "to exercise its constitutional responsibility to resolve" interstate disputes. He noted that the Show-Me State had a legitimate interest in ensuring that New York state cannot "hijack our national election," and vowed that his office's legal challenge to the federal government's prosecutions of Trump was not over.

Cases against Trump clear examples of election interference

In May, a New York jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsification of business records concerning a hush money payment given to adult film actress Stormy Daniels (born Stephanie Clifford). Michael Cohen, former attorney to the real estate mogul, was in charge of arranging the said payment. Daniels was given the money to ensure her silence about an alleged extramarital affair between her and Trump.