By — Hannah Grabenstein Hannah Grabenstein By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas By — Molly Finnegan Molly Finnegan By — Kenichi Serino Kenichi Serino Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trumps-2024-trials-where-they-stand-and-what-to-expect Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump’s 2024 trials: Where they stand and what to expect Politics Updated on Mar 27, 2024 9:33 AM EDT — Published on Jan 25, 2024 3:40 PM EDT UPDATE: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over former Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim, starting at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 25. 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 until after Election Day. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Email Address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. 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. A federal appeals panel ruled on Feb. 6 that he is not immune, but the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments to consider the ruling, affecting the timing of the D.C. trial. Here’s a guide to all the key hearings, trials and dates for each state and federal case that Trump will face this year. Manhattan hush-money case Watch the segment in the player above. 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: April 15 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 returned to court March 25 for a pre-trial hearing in the hush-money case. His lawyers argued for a further delay after new documents from a related federal investigation were disclosed during the discovery process. The judge was unmoved by the arguments for more time, and pushed back when Trump’s legal team accused Manhattan prosecutors of misconduct without providing proof. “You are literally accusing the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the people involved in this case of prosecutorial misconduct and of trying to make me complicit in it,” said Judge Merchan, who raised his voice a couple times in the hearing. “And you don’t have a single cite to support that position.” Merchan said Trump’s defense team could have asked for the documents sooner. By hearing’s end, the judge scheduled an April 15 trial start date for the New York case. Following the ruling, Trump called the case an act of “election interference.” “This is a case that could have been brought three and a half years ago. And now they’re fighting over days because they want to try and do it during the election,” the former president said outside the courtroom. “This is election interference. That’s all it is. Election interference and it’s a disgrace,” the former president said. 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. 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. 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. On Feb. 16, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the former president and his co-defendants to pay $364 million in penalties for the yearslong scheme that involved fraudulent financial statements. The judge’s ruling also bars Trump from running a business in New York state for three years, with some restrictions: Trump is not allowed to hold executive office at any New York company nor receive loans from the state’s banks within that time frame. Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who participated in the business face a similar punishment: They are barred from serving in top roles at New York companies for two years and must pay more than $4 million each. An independent monitor will continue to be at the Trump Organization for three years to watch out for further fraud. In his 92-page ruling, Engoron had strong words for Trump and his co-defendants in the civil fraud case. Since the verdict was handed down, the civil fraud judgment has ballooned to $457 million, which includes interest that adds to the total figure daily. Trump’s attorneys asked an appeals court to halt New York state’s collection on the half-billion-dollar bond, citing “insurmountable difficulties” to raise the necessary cash. On March 25, the appeals court agreed to a smaller bond of $175 million, giving Trump a monetary reprieve in the case. READ MORE: The full civil fraud trial ruling imposing penalty of over $350 million against Trump Engoron wrote that while Trump and his co-defendants “did not commit murder or arson” nor “rob a bank,” he believed, “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.” “Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff,” Engoron wrote. “Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways. Instead, they adopt a ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ posture that the evidence belies.” What are the charges? This was a civil case, not a criminal case, so there are no charges. However, this case alleged several examples of business fraud in which the Trump Organization used false financial statements to secure business deals and loans from banks. 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 else has been charged? 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. On March 4, former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty to lying under oath during his testimony in the civil fraud case. He will be sentenced to five months in jail. He already spent 100 days in jail last year after a conviction in an unrelated tax fraud case. Who brought the case? New York Attorney General Letitia James READ MORE: Read the full lawsuit against Trump by New York’s attorney general, alleging business fraud What’s next in the case? While Trump seeks an appeal to the verdict, the appellate court’s decision to hold off collection for the $454 million is a welcome reprieve for the former president who now has 10 days to secure the smaller bond of $175 million. In a March 18 court filing, Trump’s lawyers said it was difficult to secure a bond for the full judgment of $454 million, adding that they were turned down by more than 30 bond companies. The appeals court decision also means Trump does not have to pay the full penalty of $454 million while his appeal is pending. 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? Currently on hold, while Supreme Court justices consider Trump’s immunity claims. 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? Trump’s lawyers 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. Chutkan ordered in January that Smith not file any major new motions while the immunity matter was being considered. Smith asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the case but they declined. After a federal appeals panel has said that Trump does not have immunity from the charges, Trump’s appeal will now be heard by the Supreme Court. The D.C. trial is on hold until justices issue a ruling. In the unsigned order released Feb. 28, the justices said they were not “expressing a view on the merits” of the case. Instead, they’re focused on the question of whether and to what extent a former president can “enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.” Trump’s lawyers are hoping a long appeals process might delay the trial date, potentially past the 2024 election. 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 originally indicted on 13 charges including racketeering, which is typically used to prosecute criminal organizations. On March 13, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed three of the charges against Trump that involved solicitations of public officers to violate their oaths. The other charges included: 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. McAfee dismissed three of the counts against Trump in March, citing a lack of detail about the allegations. “They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently,” McAfee wrote. But he told Willis her office could seek a reindictment, giving her six months to submit the case again before a grand jury, regardless of the statute of limitations. 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 motionsasking the judge to dismiss the case in an attempt to avoid the trial completely or delay it until after the 2024 election. In addition, one of Trump’s co-defendants filed a motion accusing Willis and case prosecutor Nathan Wade of having an improper relationship and mishandling money. WATCH: Fani Willis’ Georgia election case will proceed, and other things to know about Trump’s trials In a Feb. 2 court filing, Willis had acknowledged that she had a “personal relationship” with Wade, but said it would not impede her ability to prosecute Trump’s case. Earlier, Willis claimed that Wade’s estranged wife was “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. Wade stepped down March 15 after McAfee ruled that, given the appearance of impropriety, either he or Willis would have to leave the case. The judge did not find that there was a conflict of interest. “As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed,” McAfee wrote in his judgment. 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. 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. READ MORE: Judge threatens to boot Trump from courtroom over loud talking as E. Jean Carroll testifies “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. 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.” This story is developing and will be updated. By — Hannah Grabenstein Hannah Grabenstein @hgrabenstein By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas is a senior editor for the PBS NewsHour's Communities Initiative. He also the senior editor and manager of newsletters. @Josh_Barrage By — Molly Finnegan Molly Finnegan By — Kenichi Serino Kenichi Serino
UPDATE: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over former Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim, starting at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 25. 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 until after Election Day. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Email Address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. 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. A federal appeals panel ruled on Feb. 6 that he is not immune, but the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments to consider the ruling, affecting the timing of the D.C. trial. Here’s a guide to all the key hearings, trials and dates for each state and federal case that Trump will face this year. Manhattan hush-money case Watch the segment in the player above. 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: April 15 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 returned to court March 25 for a pre-trial hearing in the hush-money case. His lawyers argued for a further delay after new documents from a related federal investigation were disclosed during the discovery process. The judge was unmoved by the arguments for more time, and pushed back when Trump’s legal team accused Manhattan prosecutors of misconduct without providing proof. “You are literally accusing the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the people involved in this case of prosecutorial misconduct and of trying to make me complicit in it,” said Judge Merchan, who raised his voice a couple times in the hearing. “And you don’t have a single cite to support that position.” Merchan said Trump’s defense team could have asked for the documents sooner. By hearing’s end, the judge scheduled an April 15 trial start date for the New York case. Following the ruling, Trump called the case an act of “election interference.” “This is a case that could have been brought three and a half years ago. And now they’re fighting over days because they want to try and do it during the election,” the former president said outside the courtroom. “This is election interference. That’s all it is. Election interference and it’s a disgrace,” the former president said. 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. 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. 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. On Feb. 16, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the former president and his co-defendants to pay $364 million in penalties for the yearslong scheme that involved fraudulent financial statements. The judge’s ruling also bars Trump from running a business in New York state for three years, with some restrictions: Trump is not allowed to hold executive office at any New York company nor receive loans from the state’s banks within that time frame. Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who participated in the business face a similar punishment: They are barred from serving in top roles at New York companies for two years and must pay more than $4 million each. An independent monitor will continue to be at the Trump Organization for three years to watch out for further fraud. In his 92-page ruling, Engoron had strong words for Trump and his co-defendants in the civil fraud case. Since the verdict was handed down, the civil fraud judgment has ballooned to $457 million, which includes interest that adds to the total figure daily. Trump’s attorneys asked an appeals court to halt New York state’s collection on the half-billion-dollar bond, citing “insurmountable difficulties” to raise the necessary cash. On March 25, the appeals court agreed to a smaller bond of $175 million, giving Trump a monetary reprieve in the case. READ MORE: The full civil fraud trial ruling imposing penalty of over $350 million against Trump Engoron wrote that while Trump and his co-defendants “did not commit murder or arson” nor “rob a bank,” he believed, “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.” “Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff,” Engoron wrote. “Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways. Instead, they adopt a ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ posture that the evidence belies.” What are the charges? This was a civil case, not a criminal case, so there are no charges. However, this case alleged several examples of business fraud in which the Trump Organization used false financial statements to secure business deals and loans from banks. 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 else has been charged? 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. On March 4, former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty to lying under oath during his testimony in the civil fraud case. He will be sentenced to five months in jail. He already spent 100 days in jail last year after a conviction in an unrelated tax fraud case. Who brought the case? New York Attorney General Letitia James READ MORE: Read the full lawsuit against Trump by New York’s attorney general, alleging business fraud What’s next in the case? While Trump seeks an appeal to the verdict, the appellate court’s decision to hold off collection for the $454 million is a welcome reprieve for the former president who now has 10 days to secure the smaller bond of $175 million. In a March 18 court filing, Trump’s lawyers said it was difficult to secure a bond for the full judgment of $454 million, adding that they were turned down by more than 30 bond companies. The appeals court decision also means Trump does not have to pay the full penalty of $454 million while his appeal is pending. 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? Currently on hold, while Supreme Court justices consider Trump’s immunity claims. 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? Trump’s lawyers 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. Chutkan ordered in January that Smith not file any major new motions while the immunity matter was being considered. Smith asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the case but they declined. After a federal appeals panel has said that Trump does not have immunity from the charges, Trump’s appeal will now be heard by the Supreme Court. The D.C. trial is on hold until justices issue a ruling. In the unsigned order released Feb. 28, the justices said they were not “expressing a view on the merits” of the case. Instead, they’re focused on the question of whether and to what extent a former president can “enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.” Trump’s lawyers are hoping a long appeals process might delay the trial date, potentially past the 2024 election. 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 originally indicted on 13 charges including racketeering, which is typically used to prosecute criminal organizations. On March 13, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed three of the charges against Trump that involved solicitations of public officers to violate their oaths. The other charges included: 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. McAfee dismissed three of the counts against Trump in March, citing a lack of detail about the allegations. “They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently,” McAfee wrote. But he told Willis her office could seek a reindictment, giving her six months to submit the case again before a grand jury, regardless of the statute of limitations. 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 motionsasking the judge to dismiss the case in an attempt to avoid the trial completely or delay it until after the 2024 election. In addition, one of Trump’s co-defendants filed a motion accusing Willis and case prosecutor Nathan Wade of having an improper relationship and mishandling money. WATCH: Fani Willis’ Georgia election case will proceed, and other things to know about Trump’s trials In a Feb. 2 court filing, Willis had acknowledged that she had a “personal relationship” with Wade, but said it would not impede her ability to prosecute Trump’s case. Earlier, Willis claimed that Wade’s estranged wife was “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. Wade stepped down March 15 after McAfee ruled that, given the appearance of impropriety, either he or Willis would have to leave the case. The judge did not find that there was a conflict of interest. “As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed,” McAfee wrote in his judgment. 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. 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. READ MORE: Judge threatens to boot Trump from courtroom over loud talking as E. Jean Carroll testifies “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. 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.” This story is developing and will be updated.