Donald Trump was sentenced, but he already has said he will appeal. Here's how that works

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his New York criminal case, more than seven months after a jury convicted him of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star – but that doesn't mean the case is over.

The day after the jury's verdict May 30, Trump vowed to appeal. He echoed that pledge Thursday, telling reporters he would be appealing even though Judge Juan Merchan already had indicated he wouldn't impose any sentencing conditions on the president-elect.

"We're going to appeal anyway ... because, frankly, it's a disgrace," Trump said.

Trump received an "unconditional discharge” Thursday, meaning he gets no prison time or probation, but his sentencing gives him another shot at getting his conviction tossed out.

More: Does Donald Trump have a shot in appealing his hush money conviction?

Here's a look at what comes next after the historic sentencing of the 45th and soon-to-be 47th U.S. president:

What steps are ahead for Trump's appeal?

Trump will have 30 days after his sentencing to file a "notice of appeal" to challenge his criminal conviction in the New York state court system. The notice will give a New York intermediate appeals court the power to hear the appeal.

Once the intermediate state court has taken over the case, it could take months – or longer – before it has ruled on Trump's arguments for tossing out his conviction. In the meantime, the appeals court will review briefs from both Trump's legal team and the Manhattan prosecution's office. The court also could schedule oral arguments, which offer appeals judges the chance to question and probe both sides' views.

Trump also could seek an unusual pathway for his post-sentencing appeal. Even before sentencing, he tried and failed multiple times to get his constitutional challenges to the New York criminal case heard in a federal court.

What might Trump argue on appeal?

The Supreme Court issued a presidential immunity ruling July 1 that has provided Trump with significant ammunition for his appeal. Five of the justices ruled that prosecutors can't introduce evidence of various official presidential acts in a criminal prosecution of a former president. Trump has since argued that evidence in his trial was improper under that ruling.

Trump also has argued that the entire criminal case should be dismissed in light of his presidential election victory. Though the president-elect wasn't able to block his sentencing based on that argument, he could still pursue it on appeal.

Trump also could challenge his conviction by arguing Merchan improperly allowed testimony or evidence stretching beyond the crimes Trump was charged with, such as a transcript of Trump's statement on the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape that celebrities "can do anything," including grabbing women's genitals. In April, New York's highest court overturned former Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction based on testimony the jury heard from women whose allegations weren't part of the charged crimes.

More: Trump wants to vacate his hush money conviction and he might have a shot, thanks to SCOTUS

Trump could also challenge Merchan's instructions to the jury on the law.

For example, Merchan told jurors that a guilty verdict required them to conclude Trump was falsifying business records so he could hide a conspiracy to unlawfully interfere in the 2016 election through one of a few potential criminal avenues, such as violating federal campaign finance laws through the hush money to Stormy Daniels. However, Merchan also told jurors they didn't need to agree on any single avenue.

Trump also could argue that Merchan shouldn't have allowed jurors to consider a federal crime – namely, violating campaign finance laws – as a way to prove Trump was guilty of the state crime of falsifying records to hide an unlawful election-interference conspiracy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump was sentenced for NY hush money conviction. Is the case over?