Itās uncharted territory for Judge Juan Merchan as he weighs the sentencing of former President Donald Trump.
But if SenateRepublicans have their way, the sentence for the 77-year-old presumptive presidential GOP nominee would not include jail time or house arrest.
They would also prefer Merchan not to anything that would impede Trumpās ability to campaign for his return to the White House, per The Hill.
Now a thereās been a conviction, the appeals process could take months to complete. Plus, legal experts do not expect the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the meantime.
Trumpās fate lies in the hands of Merchan, who can pick a sentence ranging from prison and house arrest to probation and community service.
Merchanās decision weighs heavy on Republican senators who have already been vocal about their perceived unfair trial.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)\ said it would be a āfurther abuse of powerā if Trump was sentenced to incarceration or home confinement.
āIām very troubled by what I see in the way the courts have been weaponized,ā he said. āIt used to be there were some institutions in America, namely the FBI, the Department of Justice and the courts, which were regarded as out of bounds for overt partisan Politics, but unfortunately thatās changed, and not for the better.ā
Republican senators point to any sentence which impedes Trumpās ability to campaign as leading to an unfair election.
Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) called it āfoolishā for Merchan to sentence Trump to jail or house arrest.
āBut when you see the conviction and the rules that he instructed the jury with, itās completely unfair, itās unconstitutional, and I would put nothing past him at this point,ā he said of Merchan.
Budd added a harsh sentence āwould only strengthen the resolve of the Americans to support President Trump.ā
Sen. Thom Tills (R-N.C.)
never thought Trump would be convicted and doesnāt know what to think now.
āWith this process, anything is possible,ā he said.