Hours before the petition was filed, the president-elect spoke on the phone with Samuel Alito, who clarified that the impending appeal was not mentioned during the call.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed on Wednesday that he talked with President-elect Donald Trump just days before possibly ruling on his immunity claims connected with his New York hush

The court’s 5-4 order Thursday clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence Friday on Trump, who was convicted in what prosecutors called an attempt to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels.