This year, the lawfare war against previous president Donald Trump has taken center stage in New York state court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court also held dental arguments on whether President Trump is exempt from prosecutors in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s legal case stemming from the 2020 election. The first criminal trial against President Trump is currently taking place in New York City.  ,
As these legitimate wars continue against President Trump, the Democratic Attorney General of Arizona has today targeted Trump’s past Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and 16 people with charges related to the 2020 election. The charges were announced on Thursday, April 25.  ,
The most recent details about each event are provided here.
Manhattan, New York: Prosecution by DA Alvin Bragg for NDA Payment
How did we get to this: In this New York state legal case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business data in April 2023 after The New York Times acknowledged that he had” campaigned as the best candidate to go after the original leader.” In a prenuptial agreement, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid sexual film actress Stormy Daniels to deny the allegations that he had an affair with him soon before the 2016 presidential election. Nondisclosure agreements are not illegal, but Bragg , claims , Trump concealed the payment to help his 2016 election chances and in doing so was concealing a” crime”. Judge Merchan, a , donor , to Biden’s plan and an anti- Trump reason in 2020,  , has issued a gag order on President Trump usually prohibiting him from formally speaking on conceivable jurors, witnesses, and other personnel in this case.
Latest innovations: The trial began on April 15, and judge choice was completed on Thursday, April 19. Attorneys for both sides made opening remarks on Monday, and the lawyer’s first hear, David Pecker, began his evidence on Thursday. Petercker, a former National Enquirer publication, is accused of helping” catch and kill” news reports about President Trump’s reported affairs. Pecker claimed that his care of Stormy Daniels ‘ narrative was purposefully intended to benefit the Trump campaign despite the fact that he has admitted to publishing positive articles about Trump because they were “mutually useful” in that they helped buy his tabloids.  ,  ,
Judge Merchan has issued warrants to establish cause as of Thursday for 14 possible breaches of the joke attempt against former senator Trump.
Legal experts continue to say that this case is “on shaky ground” and that the evidence shows that President Trump” compl[ied ] with the law and did not have the required criminal intent.”
Fulton County, Georgia: Prosecution by DA Fani Willis for Questioning Election Effects
How did we get below: District Attorney Fani Willis and her group of lawyers, which up until recently included Nathan Wade, in whom Willis had an unfavorable romantic relationship. Willis charged Trump in August 2023 with 13 criminal counts, including criminal fees, related to his reported attempt to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. President Trump is joined by 18 i- defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, and people. Some of President Trump’s co-defendants have entered petition bargains, while others have filed petitions to have the situation dropped in federal court, all of which have been rejected. A test date has not yet been set, though prosecutors have  , asked , for a test to begin on Aug. 5, just a few short months after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.  ,
Latest innovations: On Wednesday, President Trump’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss two fees related to filing phony documents. According to the motion,” The condition is attempting to prosecute the allegations in matters 15 and 27 because the national false statement act vested in federal court entirely applies.” The court is still hearing the motion.  ,
Southern District of Florida: Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Handling of Classified Documents
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 documents , at his Mar- a- Lago residence. Although this date is anticipated to be postponed, the trial is scheduled to begin on May 20, 2024. Additionally, venue matters: The trial is currently set to take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, in a locality that heavily , backed , President Trump in the 2020 election. If that remains unchanged, the demographics of the jury pool may result in a pro- Trump courtroom.
Latest developments: On Monday, a trove of documents obtained by Judge Aileen Cannon revealed claims made by the Trump legal team that the special counsel’s lead prosecutor had threatened to sabotage a Trump staffer’s lawyer’s nomination unless he convinced the former president to hire him, and that the Biden White House was involved in the prosecution’s early stages.
Washington, D. C.:  , Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Jan. 6 Speech
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 obstruction , related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. The First Amendment protects President Trump’s right to raise legitimate questions about a dubious election process, according to President Trump’s attorneys, and that immunity extends to actions taken by him while acting in his official capacity.
Recent developments: This case is currently a waiting case while the Supreme Court reviews the immunity claim made by former president Trump. The Supreme Court held oral arguments on Thursday, April 25. During oral arguments, the justices focused heavily on whether they should draw a distinction between President Trump’s official actions ( i. e., his presidential duties ) and his private actions. President Trump asserts that his actions in this case were those taken in his official capacity as president, which he claims will give him immunity from prosecution.  ,  ,
Notably, the Republican- appointed justices, who comprise a 6- 3 majority on the court, asked questions that signaled their readiness to let the lower courts first evaluate this question, which could take many months, or even years, to resolve. The trial of Special Counsel Jack Smith would almost unavoidably be postponed until after the election in November 2024.  ,
It is unclear when the Supreme Court will issue a final ruling on President Trump’s immunity claim, however, a ruling by late June is probable.  ,
New York: Lawsuit by A. G. Letitia James , for Inflating Net Worth
In this New York civil fraud case, Democrat Attorney General Letitia James, who had a plan to pursue Trump, sued former president Trump in September 2022 on the ground that he had misled banks, insurers, and others about his net worth to obtain loans despite the fact that none of the parties involved claimed that the deals had caused any harm. Following a no- jury trial,  , Judge Arthur Engoron— whom Trump’s lawyers have accused of “astonishing departures from ordinary standards of impartiality” — issued a decision on Feb. 16, 2024 , ordering Trump to pay a$ 454 million penalty. Trump has filed an appeal and posted a$ 175 million appeal bond. In September 2024, the appeals court intends to hold hearings on the merits of the entire case.  ,
Latest developments: On Monday, the parties reached an agreement that determined Trump’s$ 175 million bond will stand. Attorney General James had challenged the” sufficiency” of President Trump’s posted bond, which was required while his$ 454 million civil judgment is on appeal.
Maricopa County, Arizona: Indictments of Trump Affiliates Meadows, Giuliani, and 16 Others
How we got here: On Wednesday, April 24, Democratic Attorney General of Arizona Kris Mayes announced the grand jury indictments of former President , Trump’s Chief of Staff , Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani,  , Boris Epshteyn, and 15 others stemming from the 2020 election. President Trump has not been charged in this case, but he was named as an “unindicted coconspirator” . ,
11 Republicans allegedly lied to Congress about the election results in President Trump winning in the state of Arizona in 2020 through false documents allegedly provided in the indictment. The defendants are also accused of trying to pressure the then-Gov. of Arizona, the Arizona Legislature. To overturn the results of the 2020 election in Arizona, Doug Ducey and the Maricopa board of supervisors.
Legal commentators, including , one from The Federalist, have observed that the “fake electors” narrative is baseless given the established history of presidential campaigns preparing alternate electors, including the John F. Kennedy campaign in Hawaii in 1960.
Latest developments: The indictment was released on Wednesday April 24.  ,
Oliver Roberts and Steve Roberts both work for Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinksy &, Josefiak PLLC, respectively. They can be reached at sroberts @holtzmanvogel.com and oroberts @holtzmanvogel.com.
