Legal experts will be watching these crucial dates on Trump’s calendar

03 January 2024

Donald Trump will have a very complicated schedule in 2024, dealing with a barrage of legal problems while running a presidential campaign.

In addition to four criminal indictments, the former president is facing a variety of civil lawsuits. Regardless, poll after poll is showing that he is on track to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

In an article published on January 2, Forbes' Alison Durkee cites some key Trump-related dates that legal experts will be keeping a close eye on in 2024.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

The first is Thursday, January 11. That day, New York State Attorney General Letitia James' team will make closing arguments in a civil lawsuit alleging that the Trump Organization seriously exaggerated the value of its real estate assets. Justice Arthur Engoron has agreed with James' arguments; however, the bench trial's ultimate outcome will determine the amount of penalties that Trump and his company owe.

That case, Durkee notes, "could result in the ex-president having to pay $250,000, being barred from running any New York businesses or conducting commercial real estate transactions for the next five years."

The following week, on Tuesday, January 16, the civil trial in a defamation lawsuit by journalist E. Jean Carroll will commence.

Durkee observes, "Though Trump has already been found liable for defaming Carroll, and was ordered to pay her $5 million in a separate lawsuit, this trial will determine how much Trump has to pay in damages in this case."

Then, on January 29, Trump is "slated to go to trial in New York" in a civil lawsuit that, according to Durkee, "accuses him and his company of defrauding plaintiffs by promoting a multi-level marketing scheme, though Trump has a pending motion to dismiss the case."

Trump's criminal trial in special counsel Jack Smith's election interference case is scheduled to begin on March 4. But that trial date, Durkee points out, is "likely" to "get delayed" as the federal courts continue to grapple with Trump's "presidential immunity" claims.

Later that month, on March 25, the criminal trial being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. is scheduled to get underway. And on May 20, the federal criminal trial in Smith's Mar-a-Lago documents case against Trump is scheduled to begin — assuming there are no delays. Judge Aileen Cannon, Durkee observes, has "already pushed back several deadlines, which likely makes it harder for the trial to proceed on time."

Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis has requested an August 5 start date for her election interference trial against Trump and his co-defendants. But as Durkee points out, it is "unclear" whether or not the Georgia trial will be able to start that day.

According to Durkee, it remains to be seen "how the pending cases will affect the 2024 election."

"The cases challenging Trump's candidacy under the 14th Amendment are still playing out and could likely be left to the Supreme Court to determine," Durkee explains, "and it's still hard to predict how many of Trump's criminal cases will be decided before either the presidential primary wraps up this summer or the November general election. It's likely the Manhattan case will move forward as scheduled in March, and the federal election case will likely go to trial before the election depending on how long the appeals process over Trump's motion to throw out the case takes. But it's still hard to say if trials will begin in the documents or Georgia cases before the election really gets underway."

Read Forbes' full article at this link.

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