Former President Donald Trump is currently at the center of several high-profile court cases stemming from both his time in office and his conduct as a private citizen. The trials that have drawn the most national attention include the New York business records case, federal prosecutions related to mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and a state prosecution in Georgia addressing the 2020 election results.
According to Wikipedia’s overview of the indictments, Trump’s first major criminal trial occurred in New York. In March 2023, a Manhattan grand jury indicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charges were connected to “hush money” payments made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. The New York trial began on April 15, 2024; by May 30, Trump was found guilty on all counts. While sentencing was initially scheduled for September, then delayed until November, Judge Juan Merchan ultimately issued an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025. Lawfare reports that this New York case represents the only instance to date where Trump has actually been convicted and sentenced, albeit to that unconditional discharge.
Trump also faced a federal indictment in the Southern District of Florida beginning June 2023. He was accused of illegally retaining and mishandling classified documents after leaving office, as well as conspiring to obstruct government efforts to retrieve them. According to Lawfare and Wikipedia, the trial was set for mid-2024 but was postponed. On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment had been unconstitutional. The Department of Justice initially appealed but dropped the appeal after Trump won the 2024 presidential election, citing longstanding department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Another major federal prosecution stemmed from Trump’s alleged efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. In August 2023, he was federally indicted in Washington, D.C. on four charges. The trial was put on hold while the Supreme Court weighed whether a former president could be prosecuted for actions taken while in office. The Supreme Court eventually remanded the case to the lower court and, following Trump’s re-election, the special counsel requested dismissal. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted this dismissal in December 2024, as detailed by Lawfare.
Apart from the federal prosecutions, Trump has been indicted in Georgia state court over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state. CNN and Wikipedia note that he initially faced 13 charges, with some later dismissed. The case itself was paused due to a dispute about the lead prosecutor’s eligibility, and as of November 2025, Pete Skandalakis, head of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, is now handling it after multiple difficulties finding a willing prosecutor.
Throughout these legal battles, the Brennan Center for Justice points out that none of these cases or indictments have yet barred Trump’s political activity or candidacy. The Supreme Court ruled separately on eligibility for Trump to appear on 2024 ballots, reversing any state actions to disqualify him.
All in all, while Donald Trump has been found guilty on felony counts in New York, all federal prosecutions have been dismissed since his re-election. The Georgia case remains unresolved but continues under new leadership. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.
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