As former President Trump campaigns to return to the White House, he is also poised to defend himself in a series of legal battles that may play out in courtrooms from New York to Washington, DC and Florida.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently indictment of Trump because his handling of classified documents has only added to his legal problems.
Trump and his legal team are already juggling two indictments and civil cases with filing deadlines or court dates that stretch through the summer into the heart of the 2024 campaign season. Two other criminal investigations could lead to more charges .
Here’s a look at Trump’s top legal battles going forward.
Criminal case federal classified document
Tuesday in Miami, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal criminal charges that he allegedly withheld classified national security documents after his tenure in the White House and resisted government attempts to retrieve the materials.
The charges, which include 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act, follow an investigation led by DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith.
trump attacked Smith before and after the prosecution, filing the case as politically motivated, as it has also done with others against him.
Although some have argued that the charges support the argument that Trump should not be elected for four more years in the White House, legally, the charges do not prevent Trump from being in the race. Trump said shortly after the indictment that he see “no case” in which he would leave the 2024 race.
A trial in the case is still months away, and there is still no scheduled next appearance for Trump.
Walt Nautwho was Trump’s valet in the White House and became his personal aide at Mar-a-Lago, has also been charged as a co-conspirator in Trump’s alleged mishandling of documents in the case.
Nauta faces six charges and is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27. Trump has been orderly not to talk to Nauta about the case.
Federal criminal investigation into January 6
Smith’s team has continued to testify before a grand jury in its other investigation, which is looking into efforts to interfere with the transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election, including the Jan. 6 riot in 2021 at the US Capitol.
Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and Nevada GOP Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, both involved in a plot to send in bogus voters, on the day of Trump’s impeachment in Miami. They were reportedly seen inside The federal courthouse in DC, where the grand jury convenes.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently received a special subpoena with the investigation, he said NBC news.
The investigation has not yet brought charges, but could add to the federal charges Trump faces.
New York hush money criminal case
Trump’s legal team is ramping up its post-Trump defense pleaded not guilty to 34 state criminal charges of falsifying business records in April.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) has accused Trump of making a series of false entries when he reimbursed his then-fixer, Michael Cohen, for a hush-hush payment of $130,000 made to the movie star for to adults Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has until August 29 to file any motion to dismiss the indictment before trial. Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, has set a Jan. 4 hearing to consider the motions.
Merchan also tentatively set a trial to begin on March 25 in the midst of presidential primary season.
Meanwhile, Trump is making two other moves: trying to move the case to federal court and demanding Merchan’s recusal.
The attempted measure, to which the prosecution opposes, will be resolved in the coming days. The federal court has set a hearing for June 27, if necessary, but a decision could come sooner. If Trump’s motion is accepted, it would expand the jury pool beyond deep blue Manhattan to include a wider area of New York.
Trump earlier this month demanded the recusal of Merchanciting apparent small-dollar donations he made to President Biden and liberal-leaning groups, the judge’s involvement in a previous Trump-related case and reports that Merchan’s daughter works at a progressive digital agency.
an opinion of New York’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, first reported by Reuters, which mimics Merchan’s situation without mentioning him by name, however, indicated there was no need to recuse himself.
Fulton County Criminal Investigation of the 2020 Election
The Georgia district attorney investigating attempted election interference in the state has indicated he could file charges against Trump in the first half of August.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) last month they asked the Georgia judges not schedule face-to-face trials and hearings in this period, without giving an explicit reason for the request.
Willis has led an investigation into whether Trump and his allies tried to interfere with the state’s 2020 election results.
The investigation came after news of a phone call in which Trump, then president, asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to “find” about 11,000 votes, which would have overturned the victory of Biden in the state. Trump has it defended the phone call as “absolutely perfect”.
New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.C.) and Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were among several figures at the Trump’s orbit. cited in the case of Georgia.
The civil processes of E. Jean Carroll
Trump is appealing a jury’s verdict last month that awarded writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million in damages.
the jury found Trump responsible for sexually abusing Carroll in the mid-1990s and defaming her by denying her claims in an October 2022 deposition. Trump has also asked for a new trial.
As the appeal moves forward, Carroll’s first lawsuit against Trump, which has yet to go to trial, is moving forward.
That lawsuit accuses Trump of defaming Carroll when it was initially filed in June 2019, including during an interview Trump gave to The Hill at the White House three days after the indictment was published.
The DOJ, including during the Biden administration, has tried to step in and replace Trump as a defendant, arguing that he made the statements in question in the scope of his job as president. A thorny legal battle ensued over whether the DOJ was allowed to replace Trump, stalling the case for months. It ended without a clear resolution, which leaves it up to the jury.
But that may change soon.
In recent court proceedings, the DOJ has indicated it is reevaluating its position after a series of developments, including Carroll adding Trump’s CNN town hall comments about the recent verdict to his original lawsuit. a judge granted his requestto add the comments on Tuesday.
“We look forward to moving quickly with E. Jean Carroll’s remaining claims,” Robbie Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, said in a statement after the decision.
The DOJ has a July 13 deadline to apply to be allowed to walk away from the case, which would leave Trump on the hook for any damages. The matter will be fully briefed by August 3 so the judge can make a decision.
The New York Attorney General’s Civil Fraud Lawsuit
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is filing a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against Trump, his three adult children and their business entities.
The lawsuit follows a multi-year investigation into whether the former president and his company misled investors and tax authorities by inflating and then deflating property values to obtain investment and tax and loan benefits.
trump sat for his second deposition in the case of this year. In a statement last August, he pleaded the Fifth, declining to answer questions. The former president and his family they have slammed James and denounced the lawsuit as politically motivated.
The trial has been established for October 2.
But James said this week that his case against Trump, as well as that of Bragg and Willis, may have to be put on hold while the former president deals with the classified federal documents case.
“In all likelihood, I believe that my case, as well as DA Bragg and the Georgia case, will unfortunately have to be postponed pending the outcome of the federal case.” James said.
