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Update: A note on the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s website states that the hearing date for the liquor licensing renewals associated with former President Donald Trump‘s golf courses has, indeed, been postponed.

The original story below, stating ABC was contemplating postponing the hearing, was published July 3.

Following the delay of Donald Trump’s sentencing in his New York hush money case to September, New Jersey regulators may postpone a hearing to decide liquor license renewals at two of the former president’s golf clubs.

Originally scheduled for July 19, the proceedings aim to determine whether Trump’s May felony convictions make him ineligible to hold liquor licenses at courses in Colts Neck and Bedminster.

At issue is whether Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to an adult film star violates New Jersey law. The state prohibits anyone convicted of a “crime involving moral turpitude” from possessing a liquor license.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office told NJBIZ the July 19 date included in the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s (ABC) June 28 letter “contemplated sentencing for the New York State conviction as scheduled for July 11.” However, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling that presidents and former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts in office, Trump’s legal team requested a delay in his criminal sentencing.

They also sought permission to file a motion arguing to wipe out the conviction.

Changing timelines

The following day, prosecutors for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in a letter to New York Judge Juan Merchan that while they did not believe the arguments for a delay are without merit, they will not oppose the request.

In response, Merchan signaled he would rule on Trump’s motion to set aside the conviction Sept. 6 and agreed to push sentencing to Sept. 18, “if such is still necessary.”

“With the sentencing date moved to September, ABC will evaluate the impact on its hearing schedule and act accordingly,” a New Jersey Attorney General’s Office spokesperson said. “Nothing else about ABC’s process, as outlined in the letter, has changed.”

The state said last week that a review of the matter indicated even though the licenses are in the name of his son, Donald Trump Jr., the former president “maintains a direct beneficial interest” via the “recipient of revenues and profits from them, as the sole beneficiary of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust.”

Overseen by Donald Trump Jr., the trust is an umbrella entity that owns the Trump Organization. Prior to taking office in January 2017, Trump reportedly filed an ownership change of Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck, Lamington Farm Club and Trump National Golf Club Pine Hill as part of a broader strategy to move most of his business interests to the trust.

As a result, the ABC said it is not renewing licenses associated with the properties in Colts Neck and Bedminster, both of which expired June 30. However, the state granted both locations temporary permits that allow them to continue serving alcohol until a hearing on the renewals occurs.

Process

According to the AG’s office, during the hearing, an applicant bears the burden of proof to demonstrate they remain qualified to maintain licensure, which also includes a review of any beneficiaries of the licenses.

“A final judgment of conviction that raises the prospect of disqualifying Mr. Trump from an interest in a New Jersey liquor license due to the guilty verdict in New York will not be entered until after his sentencing,” a spokesperson said last week.

The Borough of Pine Hill renewed the liquor license for the Pine Hill club June 3. According to the AG’s office, municipal officials have independent authority to issue plenary retail consumption licenses and the ABC “was not involved in that decision or issuance.”

When the state first confirmed earlier this month it was examining whether to take action against the licenses, the Trump Organization said the review does not apply to the former president because the permits are issued in the names of corporate entities of which he is not an officer or director.

‘Unwarranted and unjustified’

A Trump Organization spokesperson told NJBIZ they believe the hearing is “unwarranted and unjustified.”

“As previously stated, President Trump is not the holder of any liquor license in New Jersey, and he is not an officer, director or operator of any entity that holds a liquor license in New Jersey,” the spokesperson said. “These liquor licenses support the livelihoods of many hundreds of hard-working New Jersey residents, including bartenders, waiters and waitresses, they service thousands of members, and they contribute millions of dollars to the revenue streams of the State of New Jersey,” they said in a June 28 statement.

These liquor licenses support the livelihoods of many hundreds of hard-working New Jersey residents … and they contribute millions of dollars to the revenue streams of the State of New Jersey.
– Trump Organization spokesperson

“They are also relied upon by people for special life events, including weddings, christenings, and bar and bat mitzvahs, as well as charitable outings and events. We sincerely hope that this investigation is not political in nature, and given the foregoing, we feel confident that our licenses will remain unaffected,” the statement said.

On the docket

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on May 30 of 34 counts of falsifying records tied to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

The expected GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election has denied all wrongdoing. He faces a range of potential sentences, including prison time, probation and a fine.

Prosecutors argued that Trump doctored internal business records while he was serving in the White House to disguise the fact that as president-elect, he’d ordered his former lawyer Michael Cohen to pay off Daniels.

The case was the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial. Additionally, it is the first criminal case against a former U.S. president.

An appeals court recently paused a separate election interference case against Trump in Georgia, with no trial date set. Meanwhile, his federal classified documents case in Florida remains bogged down by pretrial disputes.