Here's What's Next For Trump’s Criminal Cases Following His Election
Donald Trump has been elected president as a convicted felon, an unprecedented event in American history.
Trump is facing several state and federal criminal cases, including one in New York where he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to an alleged cover-up of a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.
The Republican president-elect is scheduled to be sentenced in his New York hush money case on November 26. However, it's unclear if the sentencing will happen, per CNN .
Earlier this summer, the Supreme Court ruled to grant some presidential immunity, prompting Judge Juan Merchan to set a deadline of November 12 to decide whether to clear Trump of his state conviction.
If the judge declines to dismiss Trump's charges, lawyers for the president are expected to ask for a sentencing delay so they can appeal the decision. Even without the sentencing delay, attorneys can still appeal for broader immunity through state appellate courts and the US Supreme Court if necessary.
Trump faces up to four years of prison time in the case, but the judge isn't required to sentence him to jail. The president-elect could face a lesser sentence like probation, home confinement, community service, or a fine.
In Florida and Washington, DC, Trump is facing two federal criminal cases brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith in 2023. Smith charged Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 in DC. The charges in Florida accuse Trump of illegally taking classified documents from the White House.
Trump's legal strategy in the federal cases has been to delay the trials until past the election so he could fire Smith if he becomes president.
"I would fire him within two seconds," Trump said of Smith in October, which would effectively end the cases.
Trump also has a pending criminal case in Georgia for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential results. However, the charges are on hold while an appeals court decides whether to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case due to her alleged prior romantic relationship with a fellow prosecutor.
If Willis is disqualified, it's unlikely that another prosecutor will pick up the case, per CNN. It's also unclear on whether a state prosecutor like Willis can prosecute an acting president.
