New York City will host a landmark event in American history on Tuesday as Donald Trump becomes the first former president to appear in court and face criminal charges.
Trump will appear before a Supreme Court judge in Manhattan charged with several crimes, including at least one misdemeanor. The indictment could be read to him in the same courtroom where Harvey Weinstein was tried and convicted of sex offenses in 2020.
The 76-year-old will arrive in New York City on Monday and will spend the night in his personal suite at Trump Tower, the 58-story skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. Early Tuesday, he is expected to make the four-mile journey up Fifth Avenue downtown for the hearing at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse at 100 Center Street.
City and law enforcement officials have drawn up detailed plans, including road closures and a major security operation likely to bring parts of the city to a standstill. The Secret Service, NYPD, court security officials, and US Marshals are all involved in the planning.
Large crowds of protesters are expected to come for the landmark event, and law enforcement officials fear the mixture of pro-MAGA supporters and Trump opponents could turn the area around the courthouse into a tinderbox for violence.
New York City hosts a landmark event in US history on Tuesday as Donald Trump becomes the first former president to appear in court and face criminal charges
Barricades have been erected around Trump Tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue in preparation for the former president’s arrival on Monday
New York court officials stand guard at Manhattan Criminal Court as law enforcement mounts a major security operation ahead of Trump’s court appearance
Trump is likely to travel to the courthouse early Tuesday morning. His fingerprints and mugshot will be taken before the court hearing, which is expected in the late morning or early afternoon.
He will be accompanied by his Secret Service entourage for much of the trial. As a former president, he is entitled to lifelong protection.
Since last week, measures have been taken to increase safety. A perimeter has been set up around Trump Tower, along its route, and around the courthouse. Steel security barriers had already been placed around the court on Monday morning and a series of road closures will come into effect early Tuesday morning.
Sources leading the planning say closures are likely on Center Street, Canal Street, Baxter Street and Worth Street. Agencies may also close other roads around the building, depending on how busy the morning is.
The operation will cause serious disruptions around Lower Manhattan.
Trump confirmed part of his travel plans on Monday. The former president said he will leave his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida at noon and land at New York’s LaGuardia Airport before heading to Trump Tower.
After the hearing, he plans to return to Mar-a-Lago around 8:15 p.m. to make a statement.
Stormy Daniels (right) rose to fame outside of the adult film industry for her alleged affair with former President Donald Trump (left) (photo taken in 2006)
A Trump supporter waved a flag and camped outside Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach on Sunday. Trump will travel from the Florida resort to New York City on Monday
Trump has denied that payments to Stormy Daniels were intended to silence her about an alleged affair and called the investigation a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
Trump was indicted by a grand jury last week on a series of charges related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign.
Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with Trump, was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about the relationship. Trump denies the affair and has denounced the legal process as a “witch hunt” and “political persecution.”
The details of Trump’s indictment remain sealed after it was ruled Thursday by a grand jury in Manhattan, but reports indicated that at least 30 charges could be related to business fraud.
Pro-Trump demonstrations have also taken place outside Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Loyal followers of Trump lined the side of the road at Trump’s house with signs reading, “I stand with President Donald Trump,” as people in passing cars honked and cheered as they waved flags from their windows.
Key concepts in the Trump case: what it means to be charged and sued
Former US President Donald Trump will be arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday following his criminal charges following an investigation into hush money paid to a porn star.
Below is an explanation of what it means to be sued and sued, and other key terms related to Trump’s case.
CHARGES
An indictment is a court document containing indictments voted on by a grand jury, a group of people who decide whether a prosecutor has enough evidence to bring criminal charges.
An indictment formally charges a suspect with a crime and provides a basis for prosecution.
Following an indictment, a defendant is formally notified of the charges, a right enshrined in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
A defendant can then be formally charged on any charges. Law enforcement officers fingerprint and take photographs of most of the defendants brought before a trial.
The world’s media has gathered for a momentous day in American history as Donald Trump becomes the first former president to face trial on charges of various crimes
STOCK
In an arraignment, a defendant is brought before a court to hear the charges and have a chance to enter a plea, which is generally guilty or not guilty.
A judge or prosecutor usually reads the charges aloud. A defendant is usually represented by attorneys, especially in cases that are high-profile or could lead to jail time or imprisonment.
Typically, if a defendant pleads not guilty, a judge will accept the plea and schedule the next court hearing, and perhaps a tentative trial date.
If a suspect pleads guilty, the judge will impose a sentence, usually at a later date.
Trump’s lawyers have said he will plead not guilty on Tuesday.
Attorneys for some defendants who plead not guilty may plead plea bargains, negotiating a guilty plea with prosecutors to avoid a trial. Defendants would typically plead guilty to some, but not all of the charges they face.
Donald Trump impersonator Neil Greenfield in front of Trump Tower in New York on Sunday
An anti-Trump protester outside Trump Tower in New York City on March 31
BAIL
Judges in the New York State Criminal Court have three options for bail: they can determine bail, release a suspect without bail, or order the arrest of a suspect.
The purpose of bail in New York is to ensure that a defendant returns to court, without regard to the risk that a defendant may cause further harm. In 2019, New York ended cash bail for most felony and nonviolent crime cases, such as Trump’s case.
GAG ORDER
A gag order is when a judge prohibits lawyers, parties and witnesses from discussing a case in public.
Gag orders are common in criminal cases. This is especially true where there is a risk that someone may make statements that could incite violence, be perceived as threatening to prosecutors or witnesses, or affect the jury.
A defendant who violates a gag order in New York could be sentenced by a judge to criminal contempt, a crime punishable by up to one year in prison. A judge will typically warn a defendant before issuing a contempt.
If a gag order is imposed on Trump, he could appeal, claiming it undermines his right to free speech while he is running for president.