On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to halt the criminal proceeding against him in New York state court.

Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, related to hush money payments made to an adult film actress during the 2016 presidential election, in New York last May. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, and that hearing will move forward unless the Supreme Court intervenes.

Realistically, the immediate stakes in this suit, which is known as Trump v. New York, are low: Regardless of what the Court decides to do, Trump is unlikely to face any punishment in the case. Justice Juan Merchan, the New York judge presiding over the case, recently signaled that he would sentence Trump to “unconditional discharge” — meaning that Trump, though found guilty, will not face imprisonment, probation, or a fine.

And the Supreme Court’s Republican majority already gave Trump sweeping immunity from prosecution for crimes he committed using his official presidential powers last July. That case involved allegedly criminal actions Trump took while he was president, so the Court has not formally ruled on whether he can be prosecuted for crimes he committed before taking office, like the falsifying of business records. However, the July decision does have some language limiting the........

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