Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has requested to delay the start of his sentence for contempt of Congress. In that request, Bannon asked to wait until after he has exhausted his appeal before serving his sentence. Is this normal?
Stays of execution of sentence and bail pending appeal
In cases where a person is facing a short sentence, it isn’t unusual for them to request and receive a stay or delay of execution of sentence. Since there’s a right to appeal, it’s not really fair to let someone finish a sentence before they have the right to see that appeal through to the end.
In Pennsylvania, all sentences for summary offenses are stayed (or paused) until the time for filing an appeal is over. If the person files an appeal, they have the right to request that they not have to serve the sentence until after their appeals are complete. In cases where a person is sentenced to less than two years of incarceration, Pennsylvania establishes a right to bail that’s identical to the one in effect before the conviction.
