HOUSTON, US

The US Supreme Court denied President-elect Donald Trump's request to block Friday’s sentencing in his New York hush money criminal case.

Despite a Republican majority in the nation's highest court, justices voted 5-4 to refuse Trump's plea to halt the sentencing, despite his legal team's argument that he should be protected under presidential immunity laws.

Trump was convicted last May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her story of an alleged affair with him from being released to media outlets during the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied all allegations of the extramarital affair.

"Every Legal Scholar stated, unequivocally, that this is a case that should never have been brought," said Trump on his Truth Social platform.

"There was no case against me," he added. "In other words, I am innocent of all of the Judge's made up, fake charges."

Even though New York Judge Juan Merchan said he plans to hand down an unconditional discharge, which requires no prison time or financial penalties, the decision means that Trump will become the first-ever US president to enter the White House as a convicted felon.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett were the two Republican judges to join with the court’s three liberal justices -- Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson -- to deny Trump’s request.

The other Republican justices -- Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh -- dissented.

The Supreme Court indicated in its ruling the reasons it was denying Trump's request to halt sentencing.

"First, the alleged evidentiary violations at President-Elect Trump’s state-court trial can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal.

"Second, the burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial in light of the trial court’s stated intent to impose a sentence of 'unconditional discharge' after a brief virtual hearing," the ruling continued.

The high court's denial of Trump’s latest request caps his legal team's extensive efforts to block his sentencing, exhausting every possible pathway for them to prevent him from being sentenced in the criminal case.

"This was nothing other than Weaponization of our Justice System against a Political Opponent," said Trump.

"I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WIL PREVAIL," he added. "The pathetic, dying remnants of the Witch Hunts against me will not distract us as we unite and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Trump will be allowed to attend Friday's sentencing hearing virtually.