Appeals court expedites Trump appeal in E. Jean Carroll case

A federal appeals court has agreed to expedite consideration of former President Trump’s argument that he has absolute presidential immunity from a defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.

The ruling will likely enable the court to weigh in on the issue before Carroll is set to take Trump to trial in January over his statements denying the longtime advice columnist’s accusations that he raped her in the mid-1990s.

In Tuesday’s ruling, the panel also declined the former president’s request to pause the case from moving ahead until the appeals court issues its decision.

A federal judge previously determined that Trump could not assert absolute presidential immunity in the case, a major blow to his defense.

It is one of two lawsuits Carroll has brought against the former president. 

A jury already found Trump liable for the sexual assault itself in Carroll’s other case, where presidential immunity did not come into play since the accusations were before and after Trump’s time in the White House. He is separately appealing that verdict.

A judge has since ruled that the verdict makes Trump automatically liable in Carroll’s other lawsuit, which has not yet gone to trial. She is suing him for denying her story when she first came forward in June 2019. 

With Trump already being found liable, the trial will only be held to determine how much Trump must pay Carroll in damages.

The civil trial is set to begin Jan. 15, the same day as the Republican Iowa caucuses.

It is one of many legal battles facing the former president as he attempts to secure a return to the White House in 2024.

Trump is set to go on two other civil trials in October and January related to his businesses. He also faces four criminal indictments, with trials scheduled throughout the spring.