Trump’s D.C. and Georgia trials are paused. What to watch for this week. – The Washington Post
Catching you up on Donald Trump’s trials in D.C., Florida and Georgia — and his post-conviction court action in Lower Manhattan.
Welcome back to the weekly edition of the Trump Trials newsletter, where we will update you on the latest in Donald Trump’s four criminal cases, including in New York, where the former president has been a felon for over a week now and is getting ready for sentencing next month.
Last week, the already-slim odds of Trump’s Georgia election-interference case going to trial before the November election got slimmer. The judge overseeing the Florida classified-document indictment once again showed she’s in no hurry to move that case to a trial. And the D.C. trial? Well, that one’s still stuck in Supreme Court-land.
Have questions on Trump’s trials? Email us at perry.stein@washpost.com and devlin.barrett@washpost.com and check for answers in future newsletters.
Okay, let’s get started.
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Now, a recap of last week’s action.
The details: Trump faces 10 state charges for allegedly trying to undo the election results in that state. Four of his 18 co-defendants have pleaded guilty.
Planned trial date: None yet. None anytime soon.
Last week: The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday ordered the lower court to completely pause the pretrial proceedings in the case against Trump and his co-defendants while it hears an appeal seeking to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, the top prosecutor.
Trump and eight of his co-defendants are seeking to oust Willis over allegations that she improperly spent taxpayer dollars when she had a romantic relationship with a lawyer she hired to work on the case. The trial judge rejected that argument and the defendants, including Trump, appealed it.
Wednesday’s ruling means nothing else can happen in the trial — no motions can be heard, no evidence can be discussed — until the appeals court rules on Willis, which could happen as late as March 2025.
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The details: Trump faces 40 federal charges over accusations that he kept top-secret government documents at Mar-a-Lago — his home and private club — and thwarted government demands to return them.
Planned trial date: Indefinitely postponed
Last week: Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who is overseeing the case, made some adjustments to the back-to-back pretrial hearings she has scheduled for her Fort Pierce, Fla., courtroom over a three-day period in late June. The schedule highlights just how many backlogged decisions Cannon needs to make before this case — sometimes said to be the most serious Trump is facing — can go to trial.
The lineup also shows the judge’s willingness to hear arguments in person for every small and long-shot motion that Trump and his co-defendants have made in hopes of getting the case dismissed — motions that many federal judges would rule on without holding hearings.
Amici — This is a Latin term that, in the legal dictionary, translates to “friends of the court.” It refers to individuals or organizations that are not parties in a case but allowed to participate anyway. That participation could include filing a brief on the public case docket or arguing at a hearing.
In her order on the hearing about the special counsel’s appointment, Cannon said she would “hear argument from amici.”
The details: 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment ahead of the 2016 election.
Verdict: Guilty
Last week: Trump asked the judge to drop his gag order as he awaits a July 11 sentencing hearing. The gag bars him from making comments about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors and others involved in the case. Trump’s attorneys said two key witnesses — Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels — have been speaking about the case, and argued that as a presidential candidate, he has the right to respond.
The details: Four counts related to conspiring to obstruct the 2020 election results.
Planned trial date: Unclear (was March 4, but that’s been delayed)
Last week: Still quiet. The Supreme Court will rule by the end of its term on Trump’s claim that presidential immunity from criminal prosecutions extends to his alleged efforts to block President Biden’s election win. Until then, the case is on pause.
Q. Can the U.S. Supreme Court undo Trump’s conviction in New York?
A. As a state case, nearly all appeals related to the trial, the substance of the case and more would go through the New York court system. In New York, the equivalent of the state’s Supreme Court — the court of last resort — is known as the Court of Appeals.
It’s possible that Trump could try to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if he exhausts all his options in New York, but that’s a time-consuming and long-shot process that wouldn’t be resolved anytime close to the election.
Thanks for catching up with us. You can find past issues here.
Facebook post draws attention of judge in Trump’s N.Y. case
Is Trump’s conviction a red line? We listen to undecided voters.
Trump’s New York trial is over. What’s next with his other criminal cases?
GOP plans ‘weaponization’ probes in wake of Trump N.Y. conviction
Hannah Knowles contributed reporting.