Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s legal troubles are set to take center stage this week, making it a busy and crucial week for the former Republican presidential candidate.
The focus is particularly on the New York hush money case, with the jury for the case having been selected last week.
However, this is just one of the many legal battles facing the former president. He is also expected to navigate potential gag orders related to the trial and the bond he posted in another civil fraud case in New York.
Perhaps the most significant development this week will be the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments on Trump’s claims of immunity, although the timing of the debate coincides with the trial proceedings of the hush money case.
Here is Trump’s court schedule for the week:
On Monday (April 22), Trump began his opening statements in the hush money case trial. He became the first U.S. president in history to face criminal trial, with the trial expected to last at least six weeks from the jury selection process.
New York judge Juan Merchan stated that all jurors and alternate jurors were sworn in last Friday.
Both sides’ lawyers will deliver opening statements before the prosecutor begins presenting charges against the former president.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose credibility has been questioned, claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006, a claim Trump has repeatedly denied.
A month before the 2016 election, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to hush up the “extramarital affair” allegations.
While these actions fall short of constituting criminal charges and are beyond the two-year statute of limitations, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accuses Trump of trying to influence the 2016 election by buying Daniels’ silence.
The $130,000 “hush money” Cohen paid was deemed an excessive contribution to Trump’s campaign, breaching federal campaign finance laws, leading to Cohen’s three-year imprisonment.
Cohen, whose credibility is in question, billed Trump’s company under the guise of “legal services” and withdrew $130,000 from the company’s account every month for a year, retrieving his $130,000 after 12 months, while Trump’s company paid 50% tax on it.
Cohen’s 12 monthly withdrawals under “legal services” were charged as 12 counts of “falsifying business records,” with each monthly invoice totaling to 24 records, but since two of them were missing, they were pieced together to create the alleged “34 counts of falsifying business records felony” against Trump.
A panel comprising 12 jurors and 6 alternate jurors is hearing this case. The 5 women and 7 men on the jury are mainly educated white-collar professionals residing in the deep-blue Manhattan area.
Prosecutors need to convince the jury that Trump’s falsifying of business records was aimed at fraud, criminal activity, or further criminal acts to prove Trump’s guilt.
Due to the Passover holiday this week, the court will recess at 2:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. There will still be four regular court sessions held this week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
On Monday, Trump agreed to additional restrictions on his $175 million bond in the New York civil fraud case, addressing concerns raised by New York Attorney General Letitia James about the security of the funds.
The bond issued by Knight Specialty Insurance is meant to ensure Trump’s compliance with the $454.2 million judgment won by New York Attorney General James if his appeal is unsuccessful.
During a hearing on Monday, Trump and his lawyers agreed that these funds cannot be used for securities trading.
They also agreed that Knight Specialty Insurance will exclusively control the account, with no withdrawals allowed, and provide monthly statements to James to ensure the cash does not flow elsewhere.
Previously, the New York Attorney General’s office sought to invalidate Trump’s bond, arguing that Trump and his co-defendants failed to prove the insurance company had enough funds to cover the bond. The Attorney General’s office also stated that the defendants failed to demonstrate “sufficient secure and ascertainable collateral” to back the bond.
Earlier this month, the Attorney General’s office questioned the bond in a brief court notice for the first time, demanding that Trump or the insurance company prove they have the capacity to pay the entire bond if Trump’s appeal fails. The state lawyers also asked for proof of proper collateral for the bond.
This bond prevented James from seizing Trump’s assets.
On Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m., a hearing will be held regarding Trump’s gag order.
Prosecutors last week requested New York Judge Merchan to fine former President Trump $3,000, accusing Trump of violating the gag order.
Merchan did not immediately rule on the prosecution’s request made on April 15 but scheduled a hearing on the matter for April 23.
Assistant District Attorney Chris Conroy stated that the former president recently posted three messages on the social platform Truth Social, violating the gag order, which was imposed to prevent him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the families of judges.
These posts targeted potential witnesses in the hush money case, including Daniels and Cohen.
Trump’s legal team argued that the posts did not violate the gag order. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche stated last week that Trump was responding to “repeated, over-the-top, and scurrilous attacks by these witnesses against Trump.”
The Supreme Court will begin hearings on Thursday (April 25) at 10 a.m. on whether Trump can face criminal prosecution for alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 reelection defeat.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on Trump’s immunity claim in Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s intervention in the election case, but the case was subsequently put on hold.
Trump’s lawyers have maintained that Smith’s case should be dismissed, arguing that the former president has absolute presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.
So far, Trump’s trial judge and a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals have rejected his immunity claims.
Merchan stated last week that Trump cannot attend the Thursday debate on presidential immunity. Under New York law, Trump must attend the hush money case trial unless granted special permission by the judge.