{"id":2231068,"date":"2024-04-26T14:59:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T18:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/last-week-in-lawfare-land-witness-testimony-another-scotus-case-and-a-new-indictment-drop\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T15:04:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T19:04:31","slug":"last-week-in-lawfare-land-witness-testimony-another-scotus-case-and-a-new-indictment-drop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/last-week-in-lawfare-land-witness-testimony-another-scotus-case-and-a-new-indictment-drop\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawfare Update: Testimonies, SCOTUS Case, and New Indictment Drop"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flast-week-in-lawfare-land-witness-testimony-another-scotus-case-and-a-new-indictment-drop%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2231068&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2062legal battles against former\u200d President Donald Trump are \u200dunfolding intensely in the U.S. Supreme Court \u2062and New York state. \u2064High-profile\u200b cases involving President Trump and his\u2064 associates face critical\u200c developments, with\u200d trials, indictments, and legal \u200bmaneuvers making headlines. Stay informed on the latest updates in\u2064 these closely watched legal proceedings. Legal battles involving former President Donald Trump \u2063are escalating in \u2062the U.S. Supreme Court and New York state. Significant cases against Trump and his associates are seeing pivotal advancements, with trials, indictments, and legal strategies capturing attention. Stay up to date on \u2064the latest developments in \u2064these closely monitored legal proceedings.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The lawfare crusade against former President Donald Trump has taken center stage in the U.S. Supreme Court and in New York state court this week. The first criminal trial against President Trump is now underway in New York City, while the U.S. Supreme Court also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-signs-hints-the-court-has-dropped-ahead-of-possible-trump-ballot-decision-on-monday\/\" title=\"Possible Trump ballot decision on Monday: Supreme Court drops hints\">held oral arguments<\/a> on whether President Trump is immune from prosecution in Special Counsel Jack Smith\u2019s criminal case stemming from the 2020 election. <\/p>\n<p>As these legal crusades proceed against President Trump, the Democratic Attorney General of Arizona has now targeted Trump\u2019s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and 16 others with indictments related to the 2020 election. The indictments were announced on Thursday, April 25. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1540729857\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-29946970327ecf6c899326c4a33cac19 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-29946970327ecf6c899326c4a33cac19\"><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s the latest information you need to know about each case.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/last-week-in-lawfare-land\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read our previous installments here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Manhattan, New York: Prosecution by DA Alvin Bragg for NDA Payment<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this New York state criminal case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg \u2014 who The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/09\/magazine\/alvin-bragg-donald-trump-trial.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acknowledged<\/a> had \u201ccampaigned as the best candidate to go after the former president\u201d \u2014 charged former President Donald Trump in April 2023 with 34 felony charges for alleged falsification of business records. Trump\u2019s former attorney Michael Cohen paid pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement in which she agreed not to publicize her claims that she had an affair with Trump (who denies the allegations). Nondisclosure agreements are not illegal, but Bragg <a href=\"https:\/\/manhattanda.org\/district-attorney-bragg-announces-34-count-felony-indictment-of-former-president-donald-j-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claims<\/a> Trump concealed the payment to help his 2016 election chances and in doing so was concealing a \u201ccrime.\u201d Judge Merchan, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/judge-trumps-new-york-case-appears-donated-15-biden-president-2020-rcna78577\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donor<\/a> to Biden\u2019s campaign and an anti-Trump cause in 2020,\u00a0has issued a gag order on President Trump generally prohibiting him from publicly speaking on possible jurors, witnesses, and other personnel in this case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: The trial began on April 15, and jury selection was completed on Thursday, April 19. Lawyers for both sides made opening statements on Monday, and the prosecution\u2019s first witness, David Pecker, began his testimony on Thursday. Pecker is a former publisher of the National Enquirer, and he allegedly helped \u201ccatch and kill\u201d news stories about President Trump\u2019s previous alleged affairs. Despite Pecker\u2019s admitted history of publishing favorable stories about Trump because they were \u201cmutually beneficial\u201d in that they helped sell his tabloids, he claimed that his treatment of Stormy Daniels\u2019 story was intentionally designed to help the Trump campaign.  <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9c144e225bf2fd1a03b3d6a3e538d48d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9c144e225bf2fd1a03b3d6a3e538d48d\"><\/div>\n<p>As of Thursday, Judge Merchan has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/live-news\/trump-hush-money-trial-04-25-24\/h_62e53a3326c050146607f8c0f1da64af#:~:text=Judge%20Juan%20Merchan%20said%20he,violations%20they%20have%20now%20added.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> orders to show cause for 14 potential violations of the gag order he imposed on former President Trump.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/4617077-why-the-case-against-donald-trump-in-hush-money-trial-is-on-shaky-ground\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Legal scholars continue to opine<\/a> that this case is \u201con shaky ground\u201d and that the evidence demonstrates that President Trump has \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/4617077-why-the-case-against-donald-trump-in-hush-money-trial-is-on-shaky-ground\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">compl[ied] with the law and did not have the requisite criminal intent.<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fulton County, Georgia: Prosecution by DA Fani Willis for Questioning Election Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: The Georgia state criminal case is helmed by District Attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors \u2014 which until recently included Nathan Wade, with whom Willis had an improper romantic relationship. Willis charged Trump in August 2023 with 13 felony counts, including racketeering charges, related to his alleged attempt to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. President Trump is joined by 18 co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, and others. Some of President Trump\u2019s co-defendants have reached plea deals; others have petitioned to have the case removed to federal court, each attempt of which has been denied. A trial date has not yet been set, though prosecutors have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/11\/17\/1213895254\/trump-georgia-proposed-trial-date\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a> for a trial to begin on Aug. 5, just a few short weeks after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: On Wednesday, President Trump\u2019s legal team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantanewsfirst.com\/2024\/04\/24\/trump-moves-have-2-more-charges-georgia-indictment-dismissed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed<\/a> a motion to dismiss two charges related to filing false documents. The motion stated, \u201cThe alleged conduct which the state is attempting to prosecute in counts 15 and 27 is addressed by the federal false statement statute and thus jurisdiction is exclusively vested in federal court.\u201d The motion is still pending before the court. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a69045ce61f1efa0faa2780a1d6d6036 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a69045ce61f1efa0faa2780a1d6d6036\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Southern District of Florida: Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Handling of Classified Documents<\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors with Biden\u2019s Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/09\/biden-doj-indicts-former-president-donald-trump-over-classified-documents-squabble\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged former President Trump in June 2023 with 40 federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents<\/a> at his Mar-a-Lago residence. The trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024, though this date is expected to be pushed back. Additionally, venue matters: The trial is currently set to take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, in a locality that heavily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/2020-election\/results\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">backed<\/a> President Trump in the 2020 election. If that remains unchanged, the demographics of the jury pool may result in a pro-Trump courtroom.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: On Monday, a trove of documents unsealed by Judge Aileen Cannon included allegations from the Trump legal team that the special counsel\u2019s lead prosecutor <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/24\/here-are-the-3-most-shocking-discoveries-just-unsealed-in-trump-classified-docs-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">had<\/a> threatened to sabotage the judicial nomination of a Trump staffer\u2019s lawyer unless he got the staffer to turn on the former president, and that the Biden White House was involved in the prosecution\u2019s early stages.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Washington, D.C.:\u00a0 Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Jan. 6 Speech<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/08\/03\/jack-smiths-latest-indictment-is-legally-flawed-and-politically-suspect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged former President Trump in August 2023 with four counts of conspiracy and obstruction<\/a> related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump\u2019s lawyers have argued that immunity extends to actions taken by a president while acting in his official capacity and that, in any event, the First Amendment protects his right to raise legitimate questions about a questionable election process.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: This case is currently stalled while awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court on former President Trump\u2019s immunity claim. The Supreme Court held oral arguments on Thursday, April 25. During oral arguments, the justices focused heavily on whether they should draw a distinction between President Trump\u2019s official actions (i.e., his presidential duties) and his private actions.\u00a0In this case, President Trump is arguing that his actions related to the 2020 election constituted actions in his official capacity as president, which he contends would provide him immunity from prosecution.  <\/p>\n<p>Notably, the Republican-appointed justices, who comprise a 6-3 majority on the court, asked questions that signaled their readiness to let the lower courts first evaluate this question, which could take many months, or even years, to resolve. This would almost inevitably delay Special Counsel Jack Smith\u2019s trial until after the November 2024 election. <\/p>\n<p>It is unclear when the Supreme Court will issue a final ruling on President Trump\u2019s immunity claim; however, a ruling by late June is probable. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>New York: Lawsuit by A.G. Letitia James\u00a0for Inflating Net Worth<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this New York civil fraud case, Democrat Attorney General Letitia James \u2014 who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2018\/12\/19\/new-yorks-next-attorney-general-targeted-slumlords-now-shes-going-after-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">campaigned<\/a> on going after Trump \u2014 sued former President Trump in September 2022 under a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/last-week-in-lawfare-land-what-to-know-about-each-legal-crusade-against-trump\/\" title=\"Recap of Recent Legal Battles Against Trump: Key Points to Remember\">civil fraud statute alleging<\/a> that he misled banks, insurers, and others about his net worth to obtain loans, although the loans have been paid back and none of the parties involved claimed to have been injured by the deals. Following a no-jury trial,\u00a0Judge Arthur Engoron \u2014 whom Trump\u2019s lawyers have accused of \u201castonishing departures from ordinary standards of impartiality\u201d \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/16\/trump-fined-350-million-in-democrats-latest-gambit-to-rig-the-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued a decision<\/a> on Feb. 16, 2024\u00a0ordering Trump to pay a $454 million penalty. Trump has appealed this decision and posted a required <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/26\/trumps-reduced-bond-doesnt-make-letitia-james-election-meddling-lawfare-any-less-scandalous\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$175 million appeal bond<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-court-is-fast-tracking-sidney-powells-request-for-a-forensic-exam-of-dominion-voting-machines\/\" title=\"Federal Court Is Fast-Tracking Sidney Powell\u2019s Request For A Forensic Exam Of Dominion Voting Machines\">appeals court plans<\/a> to hold hearings on the merits of the full case in September 2024. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: On Monday, the parties reached an agreement that determined Trump\u2019s $175 million bond will stand. Attorney General James had challenged the \u201csufficiency\u201d of President Trump\u2019s posted bond, which was required while his $454 million civil judgment is on appeal.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Maricopa County, Arizona: Indictments of Trump Affiliates Meadows, Giuliani, and 16 Others<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>:<strong> <\/strong>On Wednesday, April 24, Democratic Attorney General of Arizona Kris Mayes announced the grand jury indictments of former President\u00a0Trump\u2019s Chief of Staff\u00a0Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani,\u00a0Boris Epshteyn, and 15 others stemming from the 2020 election. President Trump has not been charged in this case, but he was named as an \u201cunindicted coconspirator.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The indictment identified 11 Republicans who allegedly sent false documents to Congress asserting that President Trump won the state of Arizona in the 2020 election. The defendants are also accused of attempting to pressure the Arizona Legislature, then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, and the Maricopa board of supervisors to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>Legal commentators, including <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/15\/the-lefts-2020-fake-electors-narrative-is-fake-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one from The Federalist<\/a>, have observed that the \u201cfake electors\u201d narrative is baseless given the established history of presidential campaigns preparing alternate electors, including the John F. Kennedy campaign in Hawaii in 1960.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: The indictment was released on Wednesday April 24. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-263cd59ac72b55db77d3a15c0a595d52 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-263cd59ac72b55db77d3a15c0a595d52\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, the legal battle against ex-President Donald Trump intensifies in the U.S. Supreme Court and a New York court. The first criminal trial of President Trump commences in New York City, alongside the Supreme Court&#8217;s deliberations on his immunity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3036,"featured_media":2231069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/49498772556_c0a87b235b_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2231068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/49498772556_c0a87b235b_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3036"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2231069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}