The Trump Trial Tracker
(updated 3-25-2024)
TRUMP’S SIN: FRAUD
Civil Trial: The State of New York vs. Donald J. Trump et al.
Plaintiff: New York Attorney General Letitia James
Start: Began October 2, 2023
Ended: February 16, 2024
The Case: AG James filed a $250 million civil lawsuit charging Trump and other company employees with overrepresenting the value of Trump’s holdings on financial statements to make him appear wealthier than he actually was. The judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, ruled in late September that Trump had in fact committed fraud. The purpose of this trial is to determine whether he has to pay a hefty penalty and if he may have violated other laws.
Presiding Judge: Judge Arthur Engoron was elected to the New York State Supreme Court in 2015, according to a Reuter’s profile. He’s been working on the Trump case since 2020.
Possible Penalty: The civil fine was originally set at $464 million. On March 25, 2024, a New York appellate court reduced the fine to $175 million. Judge Engoron also has the power to prohibit Trump, his sons and the entire Trump organization from ever operating in the state of New York again.
Family Affair: Trump children, Donald, Eric and Ivanka testified in early November 2023.
Updates:
11-6-2023: Trump testified for several hours and called Judge Engoron a “fraud” and New York AG Letitia James a “political hack.”
11-8-2023: Ivanka Trump testified that she had nothing to do with her father’s various financial statements and said at least 30 times that she couldn’t remember certain details. After cross-examination, the prosecution rested its case.
2-16-24: Judge Arthur Engoron fined Donald Trump more than $335 million and for three years he’s prohibited from running his businesses in New York. His sons Don Jr. and Eric were each slapped with fines of $4 million.
TRUMP’S SIN: DEFAMATORY REMARKS
Civil Trial: E. Jean Carroll vs. Donald J. Trump
Plaintiff: Magazine writer E. Jean Carroll.
Start: January 15, 2024
Ended: January 26, 2024
The Verdict: The former president was ordered to pay E. Jean Carrol an additional $83.3 million for defamatory statements about the freelance writer.
Don’t Spend the Money So Fast: Trump promises to appeal the jury’s verdict.
The Case: Statements Trump made about Ms. Carroll in 2019 have already been judged as defamatory. The purpose of this trial is to determine how much additional money Trump must pay her. In an April 2023 civil trial, a judge found that Trump had sexually abused her and defamed her. Jurors awarded her $5 million in that case.
Bad timing: January 15 is also the date of the important Republican Iowa caucuses.
TRUMP’S ALLEGED SIN: PLOTTING TO OVERTURN THE 2020 ELECTION
Criminal Trial: United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump
Start: The trial was supposed to begin March 4. On February 2, 2024, the Judge Chutkan removed the trial from her calendar. It is not known when the trial will take place.
The Case: The trial will focus on Trump’s alleged role in instigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020, and his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the last presidential election. He has been charged on four counts.
Presiding Judge: U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, 61, was born in Jamaica, where her father was a surgeon whose patients included reggae legend Bob Marley.
She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1987 and was appointed to her current position by President Barack Obama in 2013. (Read the New York Times profile)
Prosecutors: Molly Gaston and Thomas Windom
Venue: Washington, DC
Headache Factor: There are more than 12 million pages of documents for lawyers to review.
Bad timing: Before a delay was announced on February 2, the trial was set to begin the day before Super Tuesday (March 5, 2024).
TRUMP’S ALLEGED SIN: HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS
Criminal Trial: The State of New York vs. Donald J. Trump
Start date: April 15. Was originally supposed to begin March 25, 2024.
The Case: Trump has been charged in a 34-count felony indictment with making hush money payments prior to the 2016 election to bury allegations of sexual liaisons with porn star Stormy Daniels. He is accused of falsifying business records to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election.
Presiding Judge: Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan was born in Colombia. He was appointed by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2006. (Read the Associated Press profile.)
The “First” Factor: Trump’s indictment in April 2023 marked the first time that an ex-president of the United States faced criminal charges.
Possible Penalty: Each count of falsifying business records is punishable by a sentence of up to four years in prison. It is not certain if the judge would impose a prison term on Trump if he were to be found guilty.
TRUMP’S ALLEGED SIN: POSSESSION OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
Criminal Trial: United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump
Start date: May 20, 2024
The Case: Prosecutors have charged Trump and his aide Walt Nauta with illegally hoarding secret government documents at Mar-a-Lago, his residence in Florida. The illegal retention of classified documents is a federal crime. Among other charges, it is also alleged that Trump ordered the deletion of Mar-a-Lago security footage related to the storage of the documents.
Presiding Judge: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, 42, is a former federal prosecutor who was appointed by Trump in 2020. Her early handling of the Mar-a-Lago case was “thoroughly rebuked” by the 11th Circuit Court. NBC News examined her judicial inexperience.
Prosecutor: Special prosecutor Jack Smith
Possible penalty: Trump could be hit with a $250,000 fine as well as a jail sentence up to five years.
TRUMP’S ALLEGED SIGN: GEORGIA ELECTION INTERFERENCE
Criminal Trial: The State of Georgia vs. Donald J. Trump et al
Start date: TBD
The Case: Trump and 18 other defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Jenna Ellis, are charged with conspiring to “change the outcome” of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Prosecutor: Fulton County District Attorney Fani T Willis, who has become the first prosecutor in U.S. history to indict a former president. She has been called a tough-on-crime liberal. Ms. Willis has been criticized for allegedly having an extramarital romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, who is case’s special prosecutor.
Venue: Atlanta, which is the late Martin Luther King Jr.’s home and a capital of Black voting rights. “It makes the moment even sweeter,” the Nation astutely pointed out. “Make no mistake about it, this is a voting rights case at its heart.”
Possible Penalty: If convicted for criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, Trump could face imprisonment from one to three years.
Headache Factor: Three of Trump’s alleged co-conspirators, attorneys Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis have pleaded guilty and are expected to testify for the prosecution.
Research: Michael Lovito
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