Updates from the Front Lines: Trump's Many Legal Battles
Recent happenings, and what new fronts will open soon
With a civil case, three indictments, and more to come, keeping up with former President Trump’s legal issues can sometimes feel like a full-time job. Here’s a rundown of the latest developments in each case.
E Jean Carrol V Donald J Trump
Trump lost the first case, which was actually the second case (Carrol II), back in May. His attempt to appeal the ruling was also denied. Meanwhile, the first case (Carrol I), which had been filed in 2019 when Trump was president, was stuck in a weird limbo where the DOJ was arguing it was their job to defend him in the case since he was President when it was filed. Motions flew back and forth until July 2023, when the DOJ abruptly withdrew from the case, allowing it to proceed. Trump filed a counter-claim for defamation after E Jean did a talk show round after winning Carrol II and repeatedly claimed he had raped her, despite the jury finding that he didn’t. Monday, Aug 7, the judge dismissed Trump’s counter-claim on Carrol I. The Judge’s reasoning was basically, “But you did, though.” He claimed that Trump misunderstood the narrow definitions in the NY Penal Code. The judge also restricted what defenses the Trump legal team could use going forward.
Indictment 1: The New York Business Records Case
The heart of this case is DA Alvin Bragg’s assertion that Trump purposefully mislabeled a bunch of payments to his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen in return for Cohen paying off Stormy Daniels. Trump’s lawyers lost a fight to move the case to a federal court on July 19, 2023. The most recent filing is a notice of appeal, in which the Trump team is appealing the July 19th ruling and again looking to move the case to the federal court.
Indictment 2: The Classified Documents Case in Florida
This case saw some interesting developments on Monday, Aug 7, 2023. After a flurry