The Supreme Court denies Trump's request for a delay in sentencing for hush money.

• President-elect Trump's request to halt proceedings in his criminal hush money case was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Hours after New York state's highest appeals court refused to delay Trump's sentencing, the 5-4 decision was made.
• Before the 2016 presidential election, Trump paid $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, which he falsified in business records.

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President-elect Donald Trump's request to halt the proceedings in his New York criminal hush money case, paving the way for him to be sentenced on Friday morning.

Hours after New York state's highest appeals court refused to delay Trump's sentencing, the 5-4 decision was made.

The court granted Trump's request for an emergency stay, as Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh would have done so, according to a brief order.

The order stated that Trump's sentencing would not significantly affect his presidential duties, as he is expected to receive a sentence without any actual punishment.

The five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, remained unconvinced by Trump's arguments regarding the use of specific evidence in his criminal trial.

The majority ruled that the alleged evidentiary violations can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal, as stated in the order.

In May 2021, Trump was found guilty in a Manhattan state court of 34 counts of falsifying business records pertaining to the $130,000 payment he made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.

In their Supreme Court filing on Wednesday, Trump's lawyers argued for a pause in all proceedings until the president-elect appeals his guilty verdicts in New York.

The filing, which is 51 pages long, stated that the case should be stayed to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government.

Judge Juan Merchan of a New York trial court had rejected the claim that Trump, as president-elect, is immune from criminal prosecution.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office was accused of violating Trump's immunity privileges by utilizing evidence of his official presidential actions during the hush money trial.

In July, the Supreme Court broadened the scope of presidential immunity by ruling that former presidents have "presumptive immunity" for all their official actions while in office.

Earlier Thursday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's prosecutors stated that there is no reason for the Supreme Court to interfere in the case.

Several lawyers from the group of lawyers for the president-elect have been chosen for key positions in the Department of Justice in the next administration.

On Friday, both the New York appeals court and the state's highest court rejected Trump's request to postpone his sentencing hearing.

Trump's sentencing had been postponed multiple times by Merchan, both before and after the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The judge is predicted to impose a sentence of "unconditional discharge," meaning Trump will not receive any jail time, probation, fines, or other conditions.

On Wednesday afternoon, ABC News reported that Trump had spoken with conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito the day before he requested an immediate stay from the court.

Alito stated that the Tuesday afternoon phone call occurred, but he confirmed that the hush-money case was not discussed during the call.

Alito stated that they did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and he was not aware of it during their conversation.

— CNBC's Dan Mangan contributed to this report.