In 2023, four criminal

indictment An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an ind ...

s were filed against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, then a former

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. Two indictments are on state charges (one in New York and one in Georgia) and two indictments (as well as one superseding indictment) are on federal charges (one in Florida and one in the District of Columbia). The District of Columbia trial was put on hold in February 2024 while waiting for the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to determine whether Trump is immune from prosecution. The case was returned to the District Court on August 2 to conduct hearings consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling. The 6-week-long New York trial began on April15, 2024 with Trump convicted in all 34 charges and sentencing scheduled for November 26. On June 5, 2024, the Georgia trial was paused while the

Georgia Court of Appeals The Georgia Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the state of Georgia, United States. The court is a single entity with fifteen judges. The judges are assigned into five divisions of three judges each, with the assignm ...

decided whether to disqualify

Fani Willis Fani Taifa Willis (; , ; born October 27, 1971) is an American attorney. She is the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, which contains most of Atlanta, serving since 2021. She is the first woman to hold the office in Fulton County. Wi ...

. It disqualified Willis on December 19. The following month, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the Florida case, ruling Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. The Office of the Special Counsel

appealed In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

the dismissal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals two days later. Eleventh Circuit sent notice, officially receiving the request and requested briefing schedule of late August. The Special Counsel office has not requested an expedited briefing schedule. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Neither the indictments nor any resulting convictions would have disqualified his 2024 presidential candidacy. The Supreme Court separately addressed Trump's eligibility to be on the ballot and reversed all disqualifications by individual states. On July 1, 2024, the Court ruled 6–3, that Trump had immunity for acts he committed as president that were considered official acts, while also ruling that he did not have immunity for unofficial acts. On November 6, Trump won the 2024 election and as president-elect; after inauguration, Justice Department policy would preclude his prosecution and Trump has previously stated he will fire Smith.

Summary

March 2023 indictment in New York

Trump was indicted on state charges in a March 2023 indictment in New York. He faced 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records in the first degree related to payments made to

Stormy Daniels Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford (born Stephanie A. Gregory; March 17, 1979), known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is an American pornographic film actress, Film director, director and former stripper. She has won many industry awards and is a ...

before the 2016 presidential election. The trial began on April 15, 2024; Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts on May 30, 2024. Sentencing was scheduled for September 18, but was delayed until November 26, 2024. On January 10, 2025, Trump received an unconditional discharge of his sentence.

June 2023 federal indictment in Florida

Trump was indicted in June 2023 in the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (in case citations, S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl.) is the federal United States district court with territorial jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida. Appeals ...

in a federal indictment related to classified government documents. Trump faced 40 criminal charges alleging mishandling of sensitive documents and conspiracy to obstruct the government in retrieving these documents. The trial was scheduled for May 20, 2024, before being postponed indefinitely on May 7, 2024. On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case, ruling Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. The Office of the Special Counsel appealed the dismissal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, but it later chose to wind down the case following Trump's election in November 2024, in part due to its long-standing department policy not to prosecute a sitting president. It abandoned its appeal regarding Trump (which the court dismissed on November 25) and regarding Nauta and de Oliveira (dismissed on January 29, 2025).

August 2023 federal indictment in Washington, D.C.

Trump was indicted in August 2023 in the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a United States district court, federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and ...

in a federal indictment related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump faces four criminal charges of conspiring to defraud the government and disenfranchise voters, and corruptly obstructing an official proceeding. This case includes Trump's involvement in the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack. On February 6, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump does not have presidential immunity from prosecution. In an appeal on July 1, 2024, the United States Supreme Court ruled 6–3, along ideological lines, that Trump had immunity for acts he committed as president that were considered official acts, while also ruling that he did not have immunity for unofficial acts. The case was returned to Judge

Tanya Chutkan Tanya Sue Chutkan (born July 5, 1962) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She was the presiding judge over the criminal trial of then-for ...

on August 2 in accordance with Supreme Court rules. On November 25, 2024, Judge

of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the case without prejudice.

August 2023 indictment in Georgia

Trump was indicted on state charges in an August 2023 indictment in Georgia. Trump faces 8 criminal charges related to alleged attempts to overturn

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

's victory in Georgia, alongside 18 accused co-conspirators. Trump initially faced 13 criminal charges, 5 of which were dismissed. On December 19, 2024, the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from prosecuting the case. The case had been paused while the court decided this issue. As the court did not dismiss the case, another prosecutor could take Willis's role; however, it will have to be determined whether a state-level prosecutor can prosecute a sitting president (as Trump has been from January 20, 2025, onward) and whether a state-level judge will hear the case.

Notes

References

External links

Trump Trials Clearinghouse
from '' Just Security'' {{US history 2022 in United States case law 2023 in United States case law 2024 in United States case law Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election Classified documents Controversies of the 2024 United States presidential election Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign Donald Trump controversies Donald Trump prosecutions Indictments January 6 United States Capitol attack United States presidential history