Federal, Justice

Breaking: Trump Trial Updates

Posted on by Kelly McCarthy

So this just happened! A federal appeals panel ruled this morning that Donald Trump can face trial on charges that “he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election”, rejecting the former president’s claims that he is immune from prosecution.

Looking at the the DC Appeals Court decision it appears to be a cry for help from these Trump-hating liberals who can’t quite work out how to twist the Constitution to skewer Trump once and for all on this issue. Basically, they are begging SCOTUS to take this nightmare off their hands.

“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the judges wrote in their 57-page decision, saying that “Former President Trump lacked any lawful discretionary authority to defy federal criminal law and he is answerable in court for his conduct.” That right there is a cry for help.

You will never read a more politically motivated decision

…First, they “used knowingly false claims of election fraud” to attempt to persuade state legislators and election officials to change each state’s electoral votes in former President Trump’s favor.

Second, then-President Trump and his co-conspirators “organized fraudulent slates of electors in seven targeted states . . . attempting to mimic the procedures that the legitimate electors were supposed to follow.” 

It gets worse. The Swamp narrative is followed to the letter. Let’s hope this case can get out of the DC cesspit and up onto Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court. And then, let us pray, the Constitution is considered, and not politics.

Trump-Appeal-DeniedDownload

Will Chutkan reinstate the case?

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge presiding over Donald Trump’s trial in Washington D.C. had indefinitely postponed the trial due to this appeal concerning presidential immunity. Yesterday, the judge hinted that the delay might extend until late 2024, which has caused concern among Trump’s critics. (More at Politico). She has said that she will be away in August, unless a certain case comes before her. 

Former U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal, who served under the Obama administration, publicly expressed his anxiety, stating, “I am officially now at the freakout stage.”

The primary issue causing the delay is the time taken by the appeals process to decide on the matter of presidential immunity. 

Trump has a lost his appeal to the DC Appeals Court but he can still appeal to the full appeals court and subsequently to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Special Counsel Jack Smith previously requested an expedited hearing from the Supreme Court, but his request was denied.

As of February 2024, there are four major cases against Trump that are still ongoing:

  1. The New York state attorney general’s $370 million civil fraud case. A ruling is expected in early to mid-February.
  2. The Washington, D.C. criminal case on January 6th. The trial has been postponed due to the appeal on the issue of presidential immunity which was refused today
  3. The Florida records case, which has a Trump-appointed judge who is walking it slowly.
  4. The Georgia interference case, which has a Trump-appointed judge who is walking it slowly.

It’s like watching a legal soap opera unfold, with plot twists and turns at every corner. We’ll have to wait and see how these cases resolve, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be a wild ride.

First thoughts from the peanut gallery