(LibertySons.org) – The swarm of legal attacks on former president Donald Trump is starting to fall apart, with one case against him already dropped and another under threat from a recent landmark Supreme Court ruling. Trump’s opponents have achieved one big success, with the massive fine handed to him in the New York business fraud case. Now Trump is pushing back against that, too.
Legal Tide Is Turning
On July 1, the US Supreme Court ruled that presidents have at least partial legal immunity for acts committed as part of their official role. That was a blow to federal prosecutors who have been pursuing Trump for alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election; the case is now paused. Another election interference case in Georgia has also been paused after conflict of interest allegations against Fulton County Attorney General Fani Willis. On July 15, a federal judge in Florida dismissed the classified documents case against the former president. Sentencing in a federal business fraud case, in which Trump was convicted of falsifying records to hide hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, has been delayed while the court works out the implications of the Supreme Court decision.
Trump’s legal worries, which seemed overwhelming when he launched his 2024 election campaign, seem to be fading. However, his opponents scored a major victory in February when he was fined almost half a billion dollars in a New York civil fraud case. Trump was found guilty of lying about his wealth to an array of financial companies. Now, his legal team has asked an appeals court to overturn the judgment.
On July 23, Trump’s lawyers filed a 116-page appeal with the Appellate Division of the New York trials court. In it, they criticize Judge Arthur Engeron for his February 16 judgment against Trump, saying it gives New York Attorney General Letitia James “limitless power to target anyone she wants,” including for political reasons. They also argue that the ruling and the massive fine imposed on Trump could deter other businesses from operating in the state.
Trump lawyer Christopher Kise called Engeron’s decision “an outrageous miscarriage of justice” and “Profoundly un-American” and called for a complete reversal. He said that would restore faith in the state’s legal system.
Most of the allegations made in the filing aren’t new; they came up during the case itself and were dismissed. However, they were dismissed by Judge Engeron, and the filing says his handling of the case was a big part of the problem. It’s possible the appeals court will take a different view. If it does and upholds the appeal, Trump will have his $500 million bond returned and won’t owe the state a penny. Oral arguments in the appeal will begin in late September.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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