A 12-person New York jury convicted former President Trump on all 34 criminal counts in his secret trial on Thursday. But he still faces 54 criminal charges in three other cases.
Trump made history as the first former US president to become a convicted felon after a jury found him guilty of falsifying business records to hide his alleged affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing hearing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to formally accept the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
It’s just one of the legal battles the former president faces. On the other three charges, Trump faces an additional 54 criminal charges, although it is unclear whether any of them will reach a jury before the November election.
10 charges in Georgia 2020 election interference case
Trump, along with 18 other defendants, was accused of participating in an illegal conspiracy to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. Each defendant was charged under state racketeering law.
The former president was originally charged with 13 state criminal counts by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D), but three of them were dismissed by Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Willis, who saw her case partially derailed after one of Trump’s co-defendants tried to remove her because of a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor assigned to the case, is appealing the dismissal of some charges.
Trump appealed McAfee’s decision to allow Willis to pursue the case as long as her former lover, Nathan Wade, stepped aside, which he did.
In April, McAfee rejected Trump’s attempt to bring the allegations under the First Amendment.
The judge has not yet set a trial date for the case.
4 charges in case of interference in federal elections
Trump faces four federal criminal charges that allege he pressured state lawmakers, developed fake voters, leveraged the Justice Department, pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence and exploited the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot in an attempt to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election.
The Supreme Court is currently considering whether Trump should be immune from prosecution over his claim that he was performing presidential acts. The court’s decision is expected to be made by the end of June.
The high court’s appeal essentially left the court in limbo, with no trial date set, although authorities had previously indicated a desire to move the case forward quickly.
If the judges allow special prosecutor Jack Smith to continue his prosecution, Trump could be tried during the heat of the general election campaign.
40 counts in federal confidential documents case
Trump faces 40 federal charges in Florida for allegedly mishandling White House records and trying to prevent the government from recovering them after he left office.
The files reportedly contained confidential information on national defense and weapons, including some top-secret documents.
The FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in August 2022. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In early May, Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed the trial, pushing back some trial dates to late July and refusing to set a trial date.
She issued the postponement order less than two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin on May 20, citing the need to resolve several issues.
Last week, Trump falsely claimed that President Biden and the FBI were ready to “eliminate me” in the FBI search of his South Florida estate. The agency said it is standard protocol for search policies to include a statement allowing deadly force “only when necessary.”
Smith appealed to Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, to impose a gag order on the case so that Trump cannot speak about the matter in a way that could endanger authorities, a request she rejected on Tuesday.
What happens next
It remains to be seen how Thursday’s ruling will affect proceedings in Trump’s other legal battles.
Trump lawyer Will Scharf said his legal team is “considering all options” for appealing the silence conviction.
Scharf said the team will trust New York’s appellate courts to “understand the potential ramifications” the ruling has on the legal system. When asked whether the appeal would be taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, Scharf said “all options are on the table.”
The former president could face prison time, although first-time offenders with similar charges are rarely jailed.
Shortly after the jury’s decision was announced, Trump said that “the true verdict will be given by the people on November 5th,” referring to Election Day.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
