The rare and lenient sentence, which will spare President-elect Donald J. Trump jail time, was used to address his unusual status.

The idea of "equal justice under law" takes on a different meaning when you get high up on society's food chain.

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.