Indictments against Donald Trump explained

Location:
Arrests:

In 2023, four criminal indictments were filed against Donald Trump, president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Two indictments are on state charges (one in New York and one in Georgia) and two indictments (as well as one superseding indictment) are on federal charges (one in Florida and one in the District of Columbia).[1]

The New York trial began on April15, 2024 and concluded on May30, 2024 with Trump's conviction on all 34 charges. Sentencing is scheduled for September 18.

The District of Columbia trial was put on hold in February 2024 while waiting for the Supreme Court to determine whether Trump is immune from prosecution. The case will return to the District Court on August 2 to conduct hearings consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling.

The Georgia trial is paused while the Georgia Court of Appeals decides whether to disqualify Fani Willis.[2] [3]

On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the Florida case, ruling Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional.[4] The Office of the Special Counsel appealed the dismissal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on July 17th.[5] Eleventh Circuit sent notice, officially receiving the request and requested briefing schedule of late August.[6] [7] The Special Counsel office has not requested a expedited briefing schedule.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.[8] [9] [10] [11] Neither the indictments nor any resulting convictions would disqualify his 2024 presidential candidacy.[12] [13] The Supreme Court separately addressed Trump's eligibility to be on the ballot and reversed all disqualifications by individual states. On July 1, 2024, the Court ruled 6-3, along ideological lines, that Trump had immunity for acts he committed as president that were considered official acts, while also ruling that he did not have immunity for unofficial acts.[14]

Summary

IndictmentCourtNo. of chargesSubject matterJudgeProsecutorTrump legal teamTrialVerdictSentence
New York Supreme Court34Falsifying business recordsJuan MerchanAlvin BraggTodd Blanche
Emil Bove
Susan Necheles
April 15 – May 30, 2024Guilty (34 counts)TBD
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida40Mishandling of classified documentsAileen CannonJack SmithTodd Blanche
Lindsey Halligan
Chris Kise
N/ADismissed, pending appeal[15] [16] N/A
United States District Court for the District of Columbia4Attempting to overturn the 2020 US presidential electionTanya S. ChutkanJack SmithTodd Blanche
John Lauro
TBDTBDTBD
Fulton County Superior Court10Attempting to change the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election in GeorgiaScott McAfeeFani WillisTodd Blanche
Jennifer Little
Steven Sadow
TBDTBDTBD

March 2023 indictment in New York

See main article: Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York. Trump was indicted on state charges in a March 2023 indictment in New York. He faced 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records in the first degree related to payments made to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.[17] [18] The trial began on April 15, 2024; Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts on May 30, 2024.[19] Sentencing is scheduled on September 18, 2024.[20]

June 2023 federal indictment in Florida

See main article: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (classified documents case). Trump was indicted in June 2023 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in a federal indictment related to classified government documents. Trump faced 40 criminal charges alleging mishandling of sensitive documents and conspiracy to obstruct the government in retrieving these documents.[21] The trial was scheduled for May 20, 2024,[22] before being postponed indefinitely on May 7, 2024.[23] On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case, ruling Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. The Office of the Special Counsel has the option to appeal the dismissal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.[24]

August 2023 federal indictment in Washington, D.C.

See main article: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (election obstruction case). Trump was indicted in August 2023 in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in a federal indictment related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump faces four criminal charges of conspiring to defraud the government and disenfranchise voters, and corruptly obstructing an official proceeding. This case includes Trump's involvement in the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack. On February 6, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump does not have presidential immunity from prosecution.[25] In an appeal on July 1, 2024, the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3, along ideological lines, that Trump had immunity for acts he committed as president that were considered official acts, while also ruling that he did not have immunity for unofficial acts. The case was returned to Judge Tanya Chutkan on August 2 in accordance with Supreme Court rules.[26]

August 2023 indictment in Georgia

See main article: Georgia election racketeering prosecution. Trump was indicted on state charges in an August 2023 indictment in Georgia. Trump faces 10 criminal charges related to alleged attempts to overturn Joe Biden's victory in Georgia, alongside 18 accused co-conspirators.[27] [28] The trial is not yet scheduled. Trump initially faced 13 criminal charges, 3 of which were later dismissed.[27]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: . 11 December 2023 . 28 January 2024 . Amy . O'Kruk . Curt . Merrill . Donald Trump's criminal cases, in one place . July 2023 .
  2. Web site: Cohen . Zachary . Murray . Sara . 2024-06-05 . Georgia court of appeals indefinitely pauses the election subversion conspiracy case against Donald Trump . 2024-06-06 . CNN . en.
  3. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/15/g-s1-10379/trump-documents-case-dismissed
  4. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/florida-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-case-rcna161878 Florida judge dismisses the Trump classified documents case
  5. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/jack-smith-notice-of-appeal-classified-documents-trump.pdf
  6. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.648653/gov.uscourts.flsd.648653.674.0.pdf
  7. https://abcnews.go.com/US/court-sets-aug-27-deadline-brief-appealing-trump/story?id=112270892
  8. News: 2023-04-04 . Donald Trump's Arraignment: Trump Decries Charges After Pleading Not Guilty to 34 Felony Counts . The New York Times . en . 2023-09-29 . Bromwich . Jonah E. . Rashbaum . William K. . Protess . Ben . Haberman . Maggie .
  9. Web site: 2023-08-05 . Trump pleads not guilty twice in 24 hours with plea to new charges in classified documents case . Tierney . Sneed . . 2023-09-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805212550/https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/04/politics/trump-classified-documents-not-guilty/index.html . August 5, 2023 . live .
  10. Web site: 2023-08-03 . Trump pleads not guilty to federal felonies related to the 2020 election . Michael . Kunzelman . Eric . Tucker . . Nomaan . Merchant . 2023-09-29 . PBS NewsHour . en-us.
  11. Web site: Rabinowitz . Hannah . 2023-08-31 . Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia election subversion case, seeks to sever case from co-defendants who want a speedy trial . 2023-09-29 . CNN . en.
  12. News: Stein . Perry . March 30, 2023 . Trump can still run for president in 2024 after being indicted . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230414130748/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/30/trump-presidential-run-indicted-constitution/ . April 14, 2023 . March 30, 2023 . 0190-8286 .
  13. News: Giavanni Alves. Can a convicted felon become a U.S. president?. March 31, 2023. Staten Island Advance. April 5, 2023. April 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230405050421/https://www.silive.com/politics/2023/03/can-a-convicted-a-felon-become-a-us-president.html. live.
  14. Web site: 2024-07-01 . Supreme Court rules Trump is entitled to some immunity in January 6 case . 2024-07-01 . CNN . en.
  15. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/jack-smith-notice-of-appeal-classified-documents-trump.pdf
  16. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.648653/gov.uscourts.flsd.648653.674.0.pdf
  17. Web site: O'Kruk . Amy . Merrill . Curt . April 16, 2024 . Tracking Donald Trump's indictments . 2024-04-24 . CNN . en.
  18. News: Savage . Charlie . Charlie Savage (author) . August 15, 2023 . Comparing the Four Criminal Cases Against Donald Trump . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230816124118/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/us/politics/trump-cases-counts-charges-strengths.html . August 16, 2023 . August 16, 2023 . . en.
  19. Trump's Trial and Campaign Collide as Historic Prosecution Begins . Molly . Ball . April 20, 2024 . . subscription . April 21, 2024.
  20. Web site: Kates . Graham . 2024-07-03 . Experts doubt Trump will get conviction tossed in "hush money" case despite Supreme Court ruling - CBS News . 2024-07-07 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  21. Web site: Read Trump's new charges in the classified documents case . . July 28, 2023 . Meg . Kinnard . Alanna Durkin . Richer . 28 January 2024 .
  22. Web site: Tucker . Eric . July 21, 2023 . Judge sets a trial date for next May in Trump's classified documents case in Florida . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128101920/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/nation-world/story/2023-07-21/judge-sets-a-trial-date-for-next-may-in-trumps-classified-documents-case-in-florida . January 28, 2024 . 28 January 2024 . . Associated Press.
  23. Web site: Cheney . Kyle . 2024-05-07 . Judge Cannon indefinitely postpones Trump’s classified docs trial . 2024-05-07 . Politico . en.
  24. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/florida-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-case-rcna161878 Florida judge dismisses the Trump classified documents case
  25. News: 2024-02-06 . Donald Trump does not have presidential immunity, US court rules . 2024-02-06 . en-GB . BBC News . Sam . Cabral .
  26. Web site: July 3, 2024 . What is an 'official' act, and how will a judge interpret Trump's immunity? . Washington Post.
  27. News: Sneed . Tierney . Morris . Jason . Valencia . Nick . March 13, 2024 . Judge dismisses some Trump Georgia election subversion charges but leaves most of the case intact . 12 May 2024 . . en.
  28. News: Georgia charges Trump, former advisers in 2020 election case . . August 15, 2023 . Sullivan . Andy . Ax . Joseph . Lynch . Sarah N. . Sullivan . Andy . Lynch . Sarah N. . 28 January 2024 .