The court’s 5-4 decision Thursday to deny the president-elect’s last-minute effort to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case set up a stunning moment in court on Friday morning, just 10 days before Trump will be sworn in for a second term.

The president-elect received an unconditional discharge of his sentence, which spares him jail time but formalizes his status as a felon. He will be the first to carry that distinction into the White House.

Judge Juan Merchan imposed an "unconditional discharge” that means Trump receives no prison time or probation. Trump continues to appeal conviction.

On Friday, a New York judge imposed a sentence that ensures Donald Trump will be the first convicted felon to enter the White House when he is sworn in as president on Jan. 20. It was a brief and relatively calm final encounter of Trump's relationship with Justice Juan Merchan over 21 months and featured accusations of political bias from the former and stern dressings-down from the latter.

The charges related to payments Trump’s company made to a lawyer, Michael Cohen, to reimburse him for paying off porn actor Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 Republican presidential campaign.