As the legal battle continues, former President Donald Trump is achieving significant successes in court. In Florida, the start of President Trump's criminal case related to alleged mishandling of classified documents has been postponed indefinitely. This postponement was ordered after it was revealed that Special Counsel Jack Smith and prosecutors mishandled and misrepresented evidence, which is particularly ironic given the nature of the underlying case.
In Georgia, where another criminal case is pending, the Georgia Court of Appeals has agreed to hear President Trump’s attempt to have Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the case. The Georgia Court of Appeals will address and decide on this matter in the next few weeks.
It is increasingly likely that the ongoing Manhattan criminal case is the only trial that President Trump will face before the November election.
Here’s the latest information you need to know about each case.
Read our previous installments here.
Manhattan, New York: Prosecution by DA Alvin Bragg for NDA Payment
How we got hereIn this New York state criminal case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — who The New York Times verified had “campaigned as the best candidate to go after the former president” — charged former President Donald Trump in April 2023 with 34 felony charges for alleged falsification of business records. Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen paid pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement in which she agreed not to publicize her claims that she had an affair with Trump (who denies the allegations). Nondisclosure agreements are not illegal, but Bragg contends that Trump concealed the payment to enhance his 2016 election chances and in doing so was concealing a “crime.” The trial began on April 15, and jury selection was completed on April 19. Judge Merchan, who contributed to Biden’s campaign and an anti-Trump cause in 2020, has issued a gag order on President Trump, preventing him from publicly speaking on possible jurors, witnesses, and other personnel in this case.
Latest developments claims This week, the jury heard testimony from porn performer Stormy Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford. Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal are central to this case because prosecutors allege that former President Trump paid them off and then falsified business records to prevent negative media stories during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Daniels claims that she had a sexual encounter with President Trump in 2006, but President Trump denies the affair. donor On May 8, President Trump’s attorneys cross-examined and discredited Stormy Daniels, highlighting her history as an adult film actor, her involvement with a strip club, and her history of making accusations against Trump. On the same day, Judge Merchan rejected a second attempt by President Trump to dismiss this case for a mistrial. President Trump’s attorneys argued that Stormy Daniels’s testimony was unfairly prejudicial against Trump due to its inconsistencies and unnecessary detail, which could improperly influence the jury.
The jury will soon hear from Michael Cohen, who used to work for President Trump, and is the main witness for the prosecution. Another important witness, Karen McDougal, is not expected to testify.Judge Merchan gave the prosecution another victory by ruling that Bradley Smith, a campaign finance expert, has limitations on what he can say during his testimony.
He is restricted in what he can say during his testimony in the case. tourOne of President Trump’s legal team's arguments is that the payments were not necessarily to influence an election, but to protect Donald Trump’s name, brand, and family. Chairman Smith was expected to support this argument, but he can now only testify about general background information related to the case. profiting Fani Willis, the District Attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, is prosecuting people for questioning the election results.
How the situation developed
: Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors are leading the Georgia state criminal case. They charged Trump with 13 felony counts in August 2023, accusing him of trying to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. President Trump and 18 others are facing charges. Some of his co-defendants have made plea deals and others have tried to move the case to federal court. The trial is expected to begin on Aug. 5, shortly after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.Recent updates
: On May 8, the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to consider former President Trump’s attempt to disqualify Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis from the pending criminal case in Georgia. Trial court judge Scott McAfee previously rejected President Trump’s attempt to remove Willis from the case, and the appeals court will now determine if that decision was allowed.
The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to hearformer President Trump’s attempt to disqualify Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis from the pending criminal case in Georgia. Trial court judge Scott McAfee previously denied President Trump’s attempt to remove Willis from the case, and the Georgia Court of Appeals asked will now determine whether that denial was permissible
Prosecution by Biden's Justice Department for Handling of Classified Documents in Southern District of FloridaHow the situation developed : In this federal criminal case, former President Trump was charged in June 2023 with 40 federal charges related to his mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence. The trial was initially set to begin on May 20, 2024, but has been postponed indefinitely. Additionally, the trial is currently set to take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, in an area that strongly supports the former president. President Trump is the target of prosecution by Democrats in the 2020 election. If this doesn't change, the makeup of the jury pool could lead to a courtroom favoring Trump. The most recent updates are:.
Judge Aileen Cannon delayed the trial date indefinitely in this case on May 7. In
, Judge Cannon said that setting a trial date now would not be wise and would not consider pre-trial motions properly. This delay comes after Special Counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutorsaccused someone of tampering with evidence, explaining that “there are some boxes [of documents seized from Mar-a-Lago] where the order of items within that box is not the same as in the associated scans.” Prosecutors previously assured the court that the documents were “in their original, intact form as seized.” Judge Cannon also revealed recently unredacted documents that show the involvement of the Biden administration in this case. backed Because of this indefinite delay, it is unlikely that a trial will happen before the November election.
Washington, D.C.: Biden's DOJ is prosecuting a case related to the Jan. 6 speech. How we reached this point an order: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors admitted accused former President Trump in August 2023 with four counts of conspiracy and obstruction related 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. The most recent events are:
: This case is currently stalled while waiting for a ruling from the Supreme Court on former President Trump’s immunity claim.
New York: A lawsuit filed by A.G. Letitia James for Inflating Net Worth
How we reached this point: In this New York civil fraud case, Democrat Attorney General Letitia James — who has been going after Trump — sued former President Trump in September 2022 under a civil fraud statute alleging that he misled banks, insurers, and others about his net worth to obtain loans, although the loans have been paid back and none of the parties involved claimed to have been injured by the deals. Following a trial without a jury, Judge Arthur Engoron — whom Trump’s lawyers have accused of “astonishing departures from ordinary standards of impartiality” —
made a decisionon Feb. 16, 2024 ordering Trump to pay a $454 million penalty. Trump has appealed this decision and posted a required
$175 million appeal bond
. The appeals court plans to hold hearings on the merits of the full case in September 2024.The most recent updates are: campaigned : This case mostly remains on hold.
Here’s the latest information you need to know about each prosecution Democrats are waging against the Republican presidential candidate. issued a decision on Feb. 16, 2024 ordering Trump to pay a $454 million penalty. Trump has appealed this decision and posted a required $175 million appeal bond. The appeals court plans to hold hearings on the merits of the full case in September 2024.
Latest developments: This case mostly remains on hold.
