Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are getting ready to compete again in November. Trump has been facing a lot of legal challenges from Biden’s Department of Justice, as well as state and local prosecutors. These challenges include criminal and civil complaints in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Washington D.C. Trump is expected to start a campaign that will involve both campaign events and courtroom appearances.
To help readers stay updated on the fast-changing developments in these cases, The Federalist has compiled the latest information about each case.
Manhattan, New York: Prosecution by DA Alvin Bragg for NDA Payment
How we got here: In this New York state criminal case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged former President Donald Trump in April 2023 with 34 felony charges for allegedly falsifying business records. Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election as part of a confidentiality agreement in which she promised not to make public her claims of having had an affair with Trump (which he denies). Although confidentiality agreements are not illegal, Bragg believes Trump concealed the payment to improve his chances in the 2016 election, which he sees as a “crime.” claims Latest developments
: Prior to the trial date on March 25, the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office provided over100,000 new potential evidence documents in response to a January subpoena from Trump's team. Trump’s legal team argued that these late disclosures, some of which came just days before the trial, justified dismissing the charges or at least postponing the case. The new trial is set to commence on April 15, with jury selection on the first day. On Thursday, April 4, Trump’s lawyers
to pause the case until the Supreme Court decided on the extent of presidential immunity. lost Democratic Judge Merchan, connected to Biden’s campaign and against Trump in 2020, also issued a comprehensive gag order on President Trump, preventing him from publicly discussing the jurors, witnesses, and parties involved in the case. The gag order also covers comments about Merchan’s family, even though his daughter works for a digital advertising company that has
worked with both Biden and Kamala Harris’ 2020 campaigns and Adam Schiff’s House and Senate campaigns. President Trump’s lawyers have started the process of requesting Judge Merchan's withdrawal donor due to concerns about the Court’s impartiality being in doubt. counted On Monday, Trump’s team based an appeal with a New York appeals court to lift the gag order and change the trial venue.
Fulton County, Georgia: Prosecution by DA Fani Willis for Questioning Election Results filed How we got here
: The Georgia state criminal case is being led by District Attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors, which recently involved Nathan Wade, who had an inappropriate romantic relationship with Willis. In August 2023, Willis charged Trump with 13 felony counts, including racketeering charges, for allegedly trying to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. President Trump and 18 others, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Sidney Powell, are all defendants in the case. Some of Trump’s co-defendants have reached plea deals, while others have tried to move the case to federal court, but their efforts have been unsuccessful.
The most recent developments: Judge Scott McAfee has agreed to the defense attorneys’ requests to pursue an appeal against his
recent decision allowing District Attorney Fani Willis to stay involvedin the case despite the alleged conflicts of interest posed by Wade’s presence on the case. Under McAfee’s order, Willis can remain involved in the case under the condition that Wade leaves. Following Judge McAfee’s ruling, Wade resigned from his position. The appeal of Judge McAfee’s decision may further delay the trial in this case. A trial date has not yet been set, though prosecutors have for a trial to begin on Aug. 5, just a few short weeks after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. On April 4, Judge McAfee
arguments by Trump’s lawyers that his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election in Georgia constituted “core political speech” protected by the First Amendment and therefore not subject to prosecution. asked Southern District of Florida: Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Handling of Classified Documents rejected How we got here
: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors with Biden’s Justice Department
charged former President Trump in June 2023 with 40 federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documentsat his Mar-a-Lago residence. The trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024, though Trump’s lawyers have asked for that date to be pushed back and Judge Aileen Cannon has indicated she will reschedule it. The latest developments : Judge Aileen Cannon recently
an effort by Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the caseas a pre-trial matter rejected on the grounds that the records were the personal property of the president and therefore were not subject to classified protection. The order does not appear to preclude the issue at trial. Judge Cannon also recently issued an requesting that special prosecutors and Trump’s legal team submit two versions of proposed jury instructions under two different legal theories. Under one of these legal theories, Judge Cannon seemingly embraced Trump’s legal argument that he had complete authority as president to remove records from the White House. If this legal theory is ultimately adopted by the court, a conviction of former President Trump would be highly unlikely.
Additionally, venue matters: The trial is currently set to take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, in a locality that heavily order President Trump in the 2020 election. If that remains unchanged, the demographics of the jury pool may result in a pro-Trump courtroom.
Washington, D.C.: Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Jan. 6 Speech backed How we got here
: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors
charged former President Trump in August 2023 with four counts of conspiracy and obstructionrelated to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump’s lawyers have argued that immunity extends to actions taken by a president while acting in his official capacity and that, in any event, the First Amendment protects his right to raise legitimate questions about a questionable election process. Recent developments : This situation is currently stopped while prosecutors and Trump’s legal team wait for a decision from the Supreme Court about whether former President Trump has broad immunity from prosecution for actions he allegedly did while in office. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in April, and a decision may come by the end of the June term. If the Supreme Court rules against President Trump, a trial could start quickly in July or August.
New York: Lawsuit by A.G. Letitia Jamesfor Inflating Net Worth
How we got here : In this New York civil fraud case, Democrat Attorney General Letitia James sued former President Trump in September 2022 under a civil fraud statute, claiming that he deceived banks, insurers, and others about his net worth to get loans, even though the loans have been repaid and none of the involved parties said they were harmed by the deals. After a trial without a jury,
Judge Arthur Engoron made a decision on Feb. 16, 2024telling Trump to pay a $454 million penalty. Trump has appealed this decision. Recent developments : President Trump has posted the
$175 million bondneeded to appeal Judge Engoron’s decision. Trump doesn’t have to pay the whole $454 million penalty during the appeal, but it’s mentioned the penalty will increase by $111,984 per day just from the interest. The appeals court plans to have hearings in September 2024. The Federalist has gathered the latest information you need to know about each case of lawfare against former President Trump. required to appeal Judge Engoron’s decision. Trump is not required to pay the full $454 million penalty while the case is on appeal, though according to reports the penalty will increase by $111,984 per day simply due to the interest on the penalty. The appeals court plans to hold hearings in September 2024.
