NEW YORK - President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on Jan 10 in the criminal case in which he was convicted on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star, but is unlikely to face jail time or other penalties, a judge said on Friday (Jan 3).

Justice Juan Merchan's ruling means Trump will be required to appear at a court hearing just 10 days before his Jan 20 inauguration - an unprecedented scenario in US history. Before Trump, no US president - former or sitting - had been charged with or convicted of a crime.

The judge said Trump, 78, may appear at his sentencing either in person or virtually.

He wrote that he was not inclined to sentence Trump to jail, and that a sentence of "unconditional discharge" - meaning no custody, monetary fine, or probation - would be "the most viable solution."

The imposition of the sentence would pave the way for Trump to appeal. Merchan acknowledged in his ruling that Trump has made clear he intends to appeal.

In a statement, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said there should be no sentencing in the case.

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