President-elect Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to prevent a New York state court from sentencing him for his conviction on criminal charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star.

“This court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government,” his lawyers wrote in a filing made public on Wednesday.

A day ago, a New York appeals court denied his effort to halt sentencing scheduled for Friday in New York state court in Manhattan. In Wednesday’s filing, his lawyers asked the US Supreme Court to immediately order a stay in the case, as he seeks an appeal to resolve questions of presidential immunity.

They said they had simultaneously asked the state’s highest court for the same emergency relief.

The Supreme Court ordered prosecutors to respond to the request by Thursday morning, signalling that the justices may act quickly on the matter.

Trump, who won another term in the White House and is set to take office on January 20, was convicted by a New York jury of covering up his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says they had.

Trump has denied the encounter and any wrongdoing.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, said in a statement his legal team had asked the Supreme Court “to correct the unjust actions by New York courts and stop the unlawful sentencing”.

A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the case, said prosecutors would respond in court papers.

The hush money case made Trump the first US president, sitting or former, to be charged with a crime and also the first to be convicted.

Since the verdict, his lawyers have made two unsuccessful attempts to have the case tossed.

In scheduling Trump’s sentencing for Friday, Justice Juan Merchan said he was not inclined to sentence Trump to jail and would likely grant him an unconditional discharge, which would place a judgment of guilt on Trump’s record without any penalty such as custody, a fine or probation.

Trump’s lawyers have argued that the hush money case should be dismissed in light of the Supreme Court’s landmark July 1 ruling that granted former presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for their official acts, in a case involving criminal charges over his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

“By repeatedly admitting evidence of President Trump’s official acts during trial, the trial court violated the principles of presidential immunity that this court enumerated,” Trump’s lawyers said in Wednesday’s filing.

They also contended that, as president-elect, Trump is immune from prosecution “in the brief but crucial period” between his November 5 election and his Jan 20 inauguration.

Eleven cops were injured in clashes as the Hyderabad police resorted to aerial firing and massive teargas shelling on Tuesday to remove encroachments for building a 24-foot wide road and restoring an abandoned irrigation channel of the irrigation department in Qasimabad.

An unspecified number of people, including some policemen, were injured as clashes broke out in Bhitai Town off Jamshoro road when a heavy contingent of police along with administration officials arrived in the area to demolish encroachments.

The drive led to a strong reaction from those living in the encroached structures as they pelted officials with stones, smashing panes of a couple of government vehicles. The drive was underway even after sunset.

Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Zainul Abideen Memon told Dawn.com that 11 personnel were injured.

“We have to build a 24ft-wide road from Karan Khan Shoro to Wadhu Wah,” said DC Memon, who reached the area following stiff resistance by residents that caused the suspension of the anti-encroachment drive.

More police forces subsequently arrived in the area and the electricity supply to the area remained disconnected.

“We are procuring machinery to clear the path by demolishing the structures,” Memon said. He added that an around one-kilometre stretch remained to be cleared of the encroachments.

“The 2.7km road is being built by the highway department whereas the irrigation channel is to be restored by the Sindh irrigation department,” he said. Memon said that 350-400 encroached structures were present on the stretch as per a survey by the Qasimabad assistant commissioner.

There were different claims by the residents about the issuance of notices to them by the administration as a few affected ones confirmed that notices for the anti-encroachment drive were given while some others denied having been served.

According to Jawaid Mastoi, a resident of Larkana, he was served with a notice. “We have been living here since 2010 on a plot stretching over 1,800 square feet,” he said, adding that he had bought the plot from someone.

“We are provided amenities such gas and electricity and nobody objected then,” he said.

Some angry women also came outside to offer resistance to the authorities during the drive.

“Why were we provided electricity and gas meters if these were illegal,” screamed a woman. The residents also alleged that irrigation department officials had taken money from them to build their houses.

Members of affected families were seen sifting through the rubble of their razed structures, separating material that was useable and moving it on pushcarts.

“Our families have been staying in our neighbour’s house ever since my house was demolished,” said A. Raheem Noonari, who hailed from Larkana.

He said that he had settled in the area around 10-15 years back to earn his livelihood. “I bought the plot of 400sq yards for Rs1 million and I got a stamp paper but I don’t have any registry,” he said.