UPDATE: There was a verdict in the second E. Jean Carroll defamation case on Jan. 25. A New York jury ordered former President Donald Trump to pay an additional $83.3 million to the writer for damaging her reputation with defamatory comments after she accused him of sexual assault. Trump said he plans to appeal.
For Donald Trump, the typical politicking that goes along with a reelection bid will overlap with an ongoing – and packed – court calendar.
Before Trump, no former U.S. president had ever been indicted. He’s charged with 91 felony counts across four criminal cases, as well as implicated in a pair of civil suits that could result in huge financial hits.
Trump has pleaded not guilty or denied wrongdoing in each of these cases, and his legal team has sought to dismiss, discredit or delay upcoming trials, including the case about 2020 election interference, which it hoped to move to after Election Day.
Those attempts by his lawyers include a bid to say Trump should be immune from prosecution because his actions or comments were part of his “official duties” when he was president.
Here’s a guide to all the key hearings, trials and dates for each state and federal case that Trump will face this year.
E. Jean Carroll’s 2nd defamation case
A New York jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her, after she accused him of sexual assault decades earlier. Watch the segment in the player above.
What’s the case about?
On Jan. 26, a New York jury decided the former president owes writer E. Jean Carroll an additional $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages for defaming the former advice columnist when he called her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.
A jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll last May. A day after he was ordered to pay her $5 million dollars in damages, the former president appeared on CNN and denied he knew Carroll and disparaged her repeatedly. In response, Carroll filed an amended lawsuit including those comments.
What are the charges?
The civil suit originally asked for at least $10 million more in damages for Trump’s comments. In September, a judge ruled that Trump’s comments about Carroll were libelous, and that the second defamation case would be only concerned with how much more money, if any, he would need to pay.
Who brought the case? E. Jean Carroll and her attorneys, originally under the New York Adult Survivors Act
What’s next in the case?
Immediately after the verdict, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, calling the verdict “absolutely ridiculous” and an attack on his First Amendment rights. He said he would appeal the decision.
At the start of this trial, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said on Jan. 6 that Trump’s lawyers could not try to argue that the former president did not rape Carroll. The columnist testified during the first trial that Trump had raped her in a fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s. That jury did not find enough evidence that a rape had occurred, settling on a lesser offense of sexual abuse. On Jan. 23 , Kaplan released an order saying again that neither party could make arguments about the assault, because it was already established that it happened.
“The material facts concerning the alleged sexual assault already have been determined, and this trial will not be a ‘do over’ of the previous trial,” Kaplan wrote.
Carroll returned to testify in this second case on Jan. 18, detailing how her life changed after she came forward.
“I’m more well known and I’m hated by a lot more people,” Carroll said during her cross-examination.
Trump did not attend the first trial, but was in the courtroom at the start of the second this month. On Jan. 17, he was reprimanded by the judge, who nearly threw the former president out of court for not being able to control himself. On Jan. 25, Trump took the stand to testify for less than five minutes. The judge warned Trump he could not relitigate his previous civil trial where he was found guilty of assaulting Carroll.
Trump attempted to delay the case in federal appeals court in December, but his request was denied.
The Supreme Court is considering whether it will take a case on whether Trump can claim presidential immunity to evade legal jeopardy, including in the defamation case, since it involves some comments made during his presidency. Trump also attempted to countersue Carroll for defamation, but that case was dismissed.
While campaigning in Iowa on Jan. 6, Trump again questioned Carroll’s account of the sexual assault, saying it was “made up.”
Georgia 2020 election case
Barriers and media line the street in between the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse and Fulton County Government center after a grand jury brought back indictments in August against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies in their attempt to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. Photo by Cheney Orr/Reuters
What’s the case about?
Trump was indicted in August for allegedly participating in a wide-ranging effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Trial start date: Prosecutors have proposed Aug. 5.
What are the charges?
Trump was indicted on 13 charges including racketeering, which is typically used to prosecute criminal organizations.
The other charges included:
- 3 counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer
- Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer
- 2 counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree
- 2 counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings
- Conspiracy to commit filing false documents
- Filing false documents
- 2 counts of false statements and writings
Who else has been charged?
Alongside Trump, prosecutors charged 18 co-conspirators. Four co-defendants have pleaded guilty, including Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman, as well as Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis, three of Trump’s lawyers. Prosecutors also charged former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump’s former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former assistant attorney general Jeffrey Clark in the indictment.
READ MORE: Who is indicted alongside Trump in Georgia election case?
Who brought the case?
A grand jury indicted Trump and the others based on a case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, top prosecutor for the Georgia county that includes Atlanta.
What’s next in the case?
Trump was booked into jail in August, but paid his $200,000 bond and left later that day.
Willis has reached plea deals with four of the 18 other co-defendants, which is common in racketeering cases. Willis may look to secure other guilty pleas, in the hopes that testimony from other conspirators will help bolster the case against the former president.
Trump’s lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to dismiss the case, arguing that as a former president, he has immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts” he took while in office. His lawyers have filed various motions asking the judge to dismiss the case in an attempt to avoid the trial completely or delay it until after the 2024 election.
READ MORE: Could Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis be removed from prosecuting Trump?
On Jan. 8, one of Trump’s co-defendants filed a motion that Willis had an improper relationship with the lead prosecutor on the case, and that they mishandled money. The judge in the case, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, has ordered a hearing for Feb. 15 in response, and ordered Willis to respond in writing by Feb. 2.
Willis claims that Nathan Wade’s estranged wife is “obstructing and interfering” in the case against Trump. Citing bank filings in the divorce case, the Washington Post reported that there was evidence that Wade paid for two flights with Willis. On Jan. 25, Trump filed a motion to join the effort to oust Willis.
On Jan. 26, Georgia’s state senate created a special committee to investigate Willis and determine whether she misspent tax money.
New York civil fraud case
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the courtroom in January during a recess for the civil fraud trial in New York. Photo by Melissa Bender/NurPhoto
What’s the case about?
A 2022 lawsuit alleged Trump, through his businesses, dramatically inflated the value of his assets, such as his home in Trump Tower in New York, to extract better terms from banks and insurance agencies.
READ MORE: Trump Organization no longer produces sweeping financial reports, executive testifies
Trial start date: Oct. 2, 2023, in New York
What are the charges?
This is a civil case, not a criminal case, so there are no charges. However, this case does allege several examples of business fraud in which the Trump Organization used false financial statements to secure business deals and loans from banks. Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in September, before the trial started, that Trump had committed fraud. With that matter established, the court will weigh in on six other questions, including whether the defendants falsified business records, committed insurance fraud, or engaged in conspiracy.
Who are the other defendants?
In addition to Trump, several of his business associates are included in the case, including two of his children, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
Who brought the case? New York Attorney General Letitia James
What’s next in the case?
Instead of a jury decision, Engoron will now decide whether there was wrongdoing related to the outstanding legal questions. Closing arguments for the civil fraud case were held on Jan. 11, when Trump made an impromptu speech claiming the judge was biased and the charges were bogus, despite being barred by the judge from making closing arguments.
Trump could face over $370 million in potential penalties, as well as the possibility that he will be banned from doing business in the state of New York.
Regardless of the result, the case will almost certainly head to appeals court – something Trump’s lawyers have already promised and Engoron has made light of.
Federal 2020 election case
Former President Donald Trump and Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith sit as Trump’s attorney John Sauer speaks during an appeals hearing on Trump’s claim of immunity in the federal case accusing him of illegally attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat, in this courtroom sketch on Jan. 9, 2024. Photo by Bill Hennessy/ Reuters
What’s the case about?
Federal prosecutors allege Trump’s actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2020, were targeted to obstruct the transition of power to President Joe Biden and overturn the results of the election.
Trial start date? March 4, but Judge Tanya Chutkan has hinted it may be moved back
What are the charges?
Trump has been indicted on four charges:
- Conspiracy to defraud the United States
- Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding
- Obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding
- Conspiracy against rights, specifically “the right to vote, and to have one’s vote counted”
READ MORE: Read the full indictment against Trump for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election
Who else has been charged?
Only Trump has been charged in the federal indictment, though there are six unnamed co-conspirators — four attorneys, one DOJ official and one political consultant. Based on the indictment, five of the co-conspirators are believed to be Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark and Kenneth Chesebro.
Who brought the case? The case was brought by special counsel Jack Smith, with an indictment from a Washington grand jury
What’s next in the case?
As in Georgia, Trump’s lawyers have asked federal judges to throw this case out, arguing the former president has immunity for all official acts conducted while in office. A district judge ruled Trump did not have immunity, and his lawyers appealed. The case is now before a federal court. Even if the judges ultimately rule against him, his lawyers are hoping a long appeals process might delay the trial date, potentially past the 2024 election. Chutkan ordered in January that Smith not file any major new motions while the immunity matter is being considered.
Smith asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the case but they declined. The case could still be heard by the Supreme Court later.
Manhattan hush-money case
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money payments meant to cover up alleged sexual encounters before the 2016 election, in New York on April 4, 2023. Photo by Brendan McDermid/ REUTERS
What’s the case about?
Trump was indicted on March 30, 2023, on charges of falsifying business records. These involved hush-money payments made on Trump’s behalf to conceal alleged affairs ahead of the 2016 presidential election. This indictment made Trump the first former president ever to face criminal charges.
Trial start date: March 25 in New York
READ MORE: New York’s probe of Trump’s involvement in hush-money case, explained
What are the charges?
Trump faces 34 felony counts in the hush-money scheme that sought to silence allegations of extramarital affairs — including a $130,000 to Stephanie Clifford, the adult film actor known as Stormy Daniels— that surfaced during his first presidential campaign.The indictment detailed how the hush-money payments, made by Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen, were recorded as legitimate business expenses.
Who brought the case? Trump was indicted by a grand jury in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
What’s next in the case?
Trump has denied all wrongdoing and said the charges are politically motivated. When his legal team sought to get the charges dismissed in October, the Manhattan district attorney’s office pushed back, saying the former president was using campaigning as a way to avoid consequences.
Trump has said that “because he is a current presidential candidate, the ordinary rules for criminal law and procedure should be applied differently here.” This argument, prosecutors wrote in a 99-page document, “is essentially an attempt to evade criminal responsibility” because he is “politically powerful.”
Another element in this case to watch: Whether Bragg’s office seeks to show there was intent to “commit or conceal” another crime with Trump’s actions, which would elevate the charges from misdemeanors to felonies. Prosecutors didn’t specify a secondary crime in the indictment, but it could relate to a federal election law violation, something Trump’s legal team has argued the district attorney’s office couldn’t pursue.
As is the situation with other cases happening this year, the trial date for this case is in flux due to Trump’s crowded legal calendar. New York Judge Juan Merchan has said he’ll decide at a February pretrial hearing whether the trial will need to be delayed if “there are any actual conflicts.”
Federal classified documents case
Boxes of classified documents stored on a ballroom stage, among other locations, inside former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo courtesy of U.S. District Court/Southern District of Florida handout via Eyepress
What’s the case about?
Trump was indicted on June 8, 2023, on charges of unlawfully hoarding national security documents after he left the White House and lying to FBI officials who sought to retrieve them from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida..
Trial start date:
May 20 in Fort Pierce, Florida, an hour outside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. An initial request to postpone the trial was declined, though U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said she’d revisit the trial date at an upcoming March 1 hearing.
WATCH: What the trial date for Trump’s classified documents case means for the 2024 election
What are the charges?
Trump faces 41 federal felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements, including three additional counts from a superseding indictment in late July 2023:
- 32 counts of willful retention of national defense information. Each charge relates to a separate classified document
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- 4 charges related to withholding, concealing or scheming to conceal a document
- False statements and representation
- 2 charges related to altering, destroying or attempting to mutilate an object
The indictment included photos of the stacked boxes containing the sensitive information inside different rooms of Mar-a-Lago. Prosecutors said although tens of thousands of people visited the “active social club” in the months after Trump left office, he “nonetheless” stored the documents “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, and office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.” Prosecutors accused Trump of having some boxes moved ahead of an agreed upon FBI visit to retrieve the documents and then asked staff to delete security camera footage that captured the move.
Who brought the case? Special counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department, with an indictment by a grand jury
Who else has been charged?
Trump personal aide Waltine Nauta faces eight charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira faces four charges.
What’s next in the case?
The timing of this case has been a major sticking point. Federal prosecutors have accused Trump’s legal team of trying to “intentionally derail” the timing of this specific trial. Trump’s attorneys argued that they would need more time to prepare for the proceedings while the former president is facing three other criminal cases against him.
In her nine-page order rejecting a request fromTrump’s legal team’s to move the trial date, Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, also acknowledged the challenges posed by the “unusually high volume” of evidence in the overlapping cases, and left herself the option to decide whether to push the trial back.
This story is developing and will be updated.
