Former President Donald Trump is seeking intervention from the US Supreme Court in his prosecution for falsifying business records to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 election campaign. The case involves a payment of $130,000 made through lawyer Michael Cohen. A Manhattan criminal court jury found Trump “guilty” of all 34 counts in the indictment brought by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, with a sentencing date set for July 11. Trump has raised concerns about conflicts of interest with the prosecutor and judge in the case, calling for the Supreme Court to make a decision.
In light of this development, House Speaker Mike Johnson has also suggested that the Supreme Court should intervene. However, legal experts believe the likelihood of this happening is low and would not be immediate. The process for the Supreme Court to intervene requires Trump’s case to go through the state appellate courts in New York before reaching the Supreme Court, which may not conclude until 2026.
The Supreme Court typically handles matters of federal or constitutional law, so Trump’s legal team would need to argue why the Supreme Court should intervene in this state-level criminal case. One potential argument could be that the Manhattan court violated Trump’s rights under the 14th Amendment. However, as previously mentioned, the Supreme Court rarely accepts state-level criminal cases, with less than 1% being heard and most rulings from state courts being upheld.
In addition to this case, Trump is also seeking a ruling from the Supreme Court on his immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office. This decision could impact federal prosecutions he is facing in Washington and Florida. With multiple legal challenges ahead and significant obstacles standing in his way, it remains unclear if Trump will succeed in his efforts to appeal to the highest court.
Overall, it seems that former President Donald Trump’s plea for intervention from US Supreme Court faces an uphill battle due to several factors such as legal technicalities and low chances of acceptance by
