Since March 2023, Donald Trump He has been indicted by grand juries six times in four criminal cases, convicted once by a jury, fired once, ordered to pay millions in damages by two civil juries, and found liable for civil fraud by a Manhattan judge.
But as Trump returns to the White House after his election victory this month, his criminal and civil legal troubles are beginning to fade into the background of the fast-moving presidential transition.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in each criminal case, and denies any wrongdoing in the civil cases. A return to the presidency is likely to result in the dismissal of all four of his criminal charges or a stay of at least four years.
Here is the status of each of his major cases.
New York money case
More than a year after he was indicted in New York on charges of falsifying business records, it was Trump convicted by a jury in May, 34 felony counts related to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to boost Trump’s electoral chances in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced in July, but his lawyers asked to drop the case based on the Supreme Court’s new ruling on presidential immunity, arguing that the ruling was based on evidence that should be off limits. The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has not yet issued a ruling on the impact of the high court’s immunity decision.
After Trump won the election, his lawyers again pushed for the case to be dismissed, arguing that the president should be immune from prosecution. Prosecutors have rejected that claim, arguing that Trump has already been convicted of entirely private conduct, but expressed a willingness to delay Trump’s sentencing until after he leaves office in 2029.
Judge Merchan has not yet weighed on any motion to dismiss the case. Trump’s sentencing is still scheduled for Nov. 26, though it will likely go ahead.
Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Ariz.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal election interference case
Eight months after special counsel Jack Smith took control of the investigation into Trump’s alleged election interference, a Washington, D.C., grand jury Trump complained In August 2023, he illegally sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election on criminal charges in order to remain in power, but the case was dropped as Trump’s lawyers appealed based on presidential immunity.
The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in July that Trump should enjoy a presumption of immunity for any official acts while in office, sending the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine whether the charges involve official acts.
Prosecutors then revised their case against Trump — removing any allegations related to official acts, including Trump’s use of the Justice Department — and a grand jury issued a new indictment against the former president in August.
Trump was re-elected while Judge Chutkan was evaluating which parts of the impeachment would be covered by the president’s immunity. Smith then paused the case to “assess these unprecedented circumstances and determine the appropriate course of action consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
Smith is expected to wrap up his case against Trump in the coming months because Justice Department policy prohibits prosecution of the longtime president. A is in front of him December 2 deadline to inform the judge of his next steps.
Smith is expected to submit a final report of his findings to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who will decide whether to publicly release the materials.
The case of classified federal documents
The other case was brought by special counsel Jack Smith, a federal grand jury in Florida Trump complained and his aide Walt Nauta in June 2023 for withholding classified documents after he left the White House and taking steps to thwart government efforts to return them.
In July 2023, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Trump and Nauta, as well as Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira.
Overseeing the case for nearly a year, Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee to the bench — took up new legal arguments raised by defense lawyers and delayed major rulings, preventing the case from going to trial. He eventually dropped the case in July, saying Smith was properly appointed to his role.
Smith appealed Cannon’s ruling to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that legal precedent and history support the attorney general’s ability to appoint special counsel. But after Trump’s retrial, the court asked him to suspend the appeal last week to assess “unprecedented circumstances” due to a DOJ policy that prohibits prosecution of the president.
It is the case now on pause until Dec. 2, while Smith evaluates his options for ending the lawsuit, including continuing the case against Trump’s accusers alone.
The Georgia election interference case
In August, Trump and 18 were indicted criminally charged A major racketeering indictment related to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state of Georgia includes allegations that Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed to win after he lost to Joe Biden.
Four of the defendants in the case took plea deals, while other defendants sought to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought the case, because of her relationship with a fellow prosecutor.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee refused to disqualify Willis if the prosecutor resigns, but the case is on hold as Trump and his co-defendants appeal the decision. The appeal’s oral argument was originally scheduled for December 5, but was unexpectedly canceled this week without explanation.
Meanwhile, Judge McAfee has also dismissed the indictment, throwing out five of the 13 counts Trump was originally accused of.
If the case goes back to court, Trump’s lawyers could mount a presidential immunity defense to try to get the case dismissed, according to experts. Asked what impact a Trump election victory would have, defense attorney Steve Sadow suggested last year that the case would likely have to wait until after Trump leaves office.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s office declined to comment on the future of the case.
New York civil fraud case
After a lengthy civil trial last year, a New York judge found Trump, his grown sons and their business associates. civil liability for committing a decade of business fraud.
With interest, Trump and his co-defendants owe nearly $489 million and are barred from running a business in New York. They arranged a $175 million bond secured by cash in Trump’s Charles Schwab account.
A New York appeals court upheld Trump’s appeal of the sentence in September, with one judge calling the sentence “disturbing.” A ruling on Trump’s appeal is expected in the coming months, and Trump may appeal the decision to the New York Supreme Court.
E. Jean Carroll civil cases
Trump owes it to author E. Jean Carroll almost 90 million dollars after losing two civil lawsuits against the former Elle magazine columnist.
In 2023, a jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages after finding Trump responsible for sexually abusing her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s, which she later defamed on social media.
The following year, a separate jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million for defamatory statements made by Trump while he was president.
Trump got a lower judgment with cash, and used a bond from Virginia-based Federal Insurance Company for the second judgment. Both cases have been appealed.
In September, a federal appeals court was skeptical of Trump’s push for a new civil trial, suggesting it would be “very difficult” to overturn the jury’s 2023 verdict.
“The election of Mr. Trump to the presidency does not change the fact that Ms. Carroll sexually assaulted and defamed Ms. Carroll, as determined by two separate juries, or the applicable legal principles that held her liable for that conduct,” Carroll said. Attorney Roberta Kaplan said in a statement this month after the election.
