It was a legal triumph that almost matched his political triumph.
One by one, the criminal cases imploded in which former President Donald Trump may have faced years in prison after his election victory in November.
Trump’s long legal saga over the past few years may not be fully concluded by the time he raises his hand to take the oath of office on January 20, but any issue will be well on its way to being resolved.
The latest stunning legal victory for Team Trump came when a Georgia appeals court ruled that Fulton County DA Fani Willis should be disqualified from his election interference case in Georgia.
But even that decision didn’t put an end to the case completely. The court said in its 2-1 decision that it did not dismiss the case even though legal experts said the plaintiff was likely dead.
Willis could appeal the case to the state Supreme Court. Or, even if the ruling stands, there could be prosecutors from another jurisdiction willing to take on the unenviable task of picking up the pieces in the complex racketeering case against Trump and 18 co-defendants.
The case exploded due to Wills’ affair with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade, culminating in the ruling that it created the appearance of conflict and that Willis could not handle the case.
As a matter of state, the Georgia case is one that Trump could not try to resolve through a pardon process, although that issue appears moot.
Meanwhile, Trump’s case fell apart on January 6 in Washington DC, just days after his election victory, when special counsel Jack Smith put the case on ice.
He asked for a one-month delay for his team to “assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course of action moving forward, in accordance with Department of Justice policy.”
The latest stunning legal victory for Team Trump came when a Georgia appeals court ruled that Fulton County DA Fani Willis should be disqualified from his election interference case in Georgia
A Georgia appeals court ruled that Fulton County DA Fani Willis is disqualified from Trump’s election interference case in the state. Experts said this probably killed the prosecution
For years, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel had recommended prosecuting a sitting president, and the case had dragged on for months as the Supreme Court waited and finally issued a ruling that set the contours of the presidential immunity from prosecution for official acts.
In late November, Trump asked Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss the case “without prejudice,” which she did.
That came days later Judge Juan Merchan of New York The intention is to postpone Trump’s hush money case indefinitely following his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying corporate documents. An existing Justice Department policy prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president.
“Just as a sitting president is completely immune from any criminal proceedings, so too is President Trump as president-elect,” attorney Todd Blanche and attorney Emil Bove wrote in a filing with Judge Merchan.
Trump has now nominated them both for top positions at the DOJ.
In a separate hush-money case, in which Trump was convicted on 34 counts, Judge Juan Merchan ruled that Trump does not have presidential immunity.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has moved to drop charges against Donald Trump in the federal election in Washington, DC
Once seen as potentially the most damaging prosecution Trump faced, the case against him in Florida was the first to fall apart
Merchan ruled that the evidence presented in the case earlier this year was “entirely related to unofficial conduct” and therefore did not involve official actions as president.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has argued that the law does not require the case to be dismissed after Trump’s election.
That leaves another important decision for Merchan: whether he will essentially pause the case for the duration of Trump’s presidency, or take some other action in light of Trump’s lawyers’ proposal to dismiss the case.
Once seen as potentially the most damaging prosecution Trump faced, the case against him in Florida was the first to fall apart after a Trump-appointed federal judge dismissed it.
His office had appealed when Trump won the election.
On appeal to the 11th Circuit, it was argued that Judge Aileen Cannon was wrong when she said Smith’s own appointment was unconstitutional and dismissed the case.
In late November, the Court of Appeals granted Smith’s request to dismiss the case. Trump transition spokesman Steven Cheung took a victory lap at the time.
“Today’s decision by the DOJ ends the unconstitutional federal cases against President Trump and is a major victory for the rule of law,” he said.
Now that the criminal cases against Trump have all collapsed in one form or another after his election victory, the pending cases on the docket are those Trump has filed seeking damages for what he calls media bias and “witch hunts” against him.
The criminal cases against Trump all fell apart in one form or another after his election victory
Trump is suing CBS and other entities for what he considers unfair and unacceptable treatment
He is suing the DOJ for $100 million over the FBI’s investigation of Mar-a-Lago in the classified documents case.
And he is suing CBS and other entities for what he considers unfair and unacceptable treatment.
Trump could be encouraged by winning $15 million from ABC News and $1 million in legal fees for an interview with George Stephanopoulos in which the host wrongly held him liable for rape when a New York jury had in fact found him liable for sexual abuse of writer E. Jean Caroll.
Trump will appeal the outcome of the Carroll case in New York City.