The judge, as expected, imposes no penalty. The outcome in Trump's felony case cements his conviction but frees him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of jail or a fine.

According to New York State law, an unconditional discharge means that Trump will have the felonies on his official record but will not face jail time, fines or probation for his actions. However, it does not mean that the President-elect has been exonerated, since that would mean finding he was not guilty of a crime.

President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t have to go to jail, pay a fine or perform community service as a result of his New York hush money conviction. A judge ended the case Friday with a sentence of an unconditional discharge, closing the case with no punishment.

The punishment-free judgment marks a quiet end to an extraordinary case that for the first time put a former president and major presidential candidate in a courtroom as a criminal defendant.