Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in a New York courthouse on Monday, making history as the first former US president to stand trial in a criminal case.

He faces charges of falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money payment made to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star, just before the 2016 election.

If convicted, the 77-year-old Mr. Trump could potentially receive a maximum sentence of four years in prison, though fines could also be imposed instead. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

Against the backdrop of his presidential campaign, this trial could have significant implications for Mr. Trump’s political future. If convicted, he would become a convicted felon just months before the November election, where he is expected to be the Republican nominee.

“This is unprecedented,” remarked Alex Keyssar, a professor of history and public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. “There’s been nothing remotely comparable to it.”

Jury selection for the trial, expected to last six to eight weeks, will commence on Monday. The case revolves around a reimbursement made by Mr. Trump to his former attorney, Michael Cohen.

Cohen, 57, alleges that he was instructed to pay $130,000 (£104,000) to Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence regarding an alleged affair with Mr. Trump—a payment prosecutors argue was intended to “unlawfully influence” the 2016 election.

While hush money payments themselves are not illegal, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office contends that Mr. Trump committed a crime by mischaracterizing the reimbursement to Cohen as legitimate legal expenses.

In total, Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. A unanimous verdict among all 12 jurors will be required to reach a determination of guilt or innocence on each charge.

The trial in Manhattan is anticipated to showcase testimony from a diverse array of central figures in the case, including Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer who was imprisoned partly due to the scandal.

Legal experts hold differing views on the strength of the prosecution’s case, which revolves around a unique legal strategy to bring felony charges related to the falsification of business records.

Mr. Trump has made multiple unsuccessful attempts to postpone the jury trial and relocate it from Manhattan, a borough primarily composed of Democrats.

His outspoken remarks about the case, which he has consistently portrayed as politically driven, prompted the judge to implement a gag order preventing him from making public statements about individuals linked to the case, including witnesses.