What is the status of Trump's legal cases following his massive election victory?

The Justice Department declared on Wednesday that it intends to conclude two federal criminal investigations against President-elect Donald Trump prior to the start of his second term.

After leaving the Oval Office, Trump faced two outstanding legal cases and was expected to see a decrease in legal jeopardy in the coming months.

Federal cases

Classified documents case

In June 2023, Trump was indicted on 37 federal counts related to the investigation into the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Despite this, he entered a not guilty plea for all charges.

The Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States, which established that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office but not for unofficial acts, prompted Trump's team to request a pause in the proceedings.

In July, Aileen Cannon, the judge, ruled that Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional under the Appointments Clause, resulting in the dismissal of the case against Trump.

The Appointments Clause specifies that ambassadors, public ministers, consuls, Supreme Court judges, and all other US officers must be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, except for inferior officers, whose appointments can be made by the President alone, the courts of law, or the heads of departments.

Smith was never confirmed by the Senate.

In August, Smith filed an appeal against the decision, stating that the Attorney General had legally appointed the Special Counsel and that the Special Counsel was adequately funded.

Election interference case

In August 2023, Smith filed another indictment against Trump, accusing him of four federal charges related to the investigation, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

Trump maintained his innocence and asserted that he was entitled to immunity from prosecution for actions taken as president of the United States.

The Supreme Court returned the matter to a lower court in July, as the justices did not apply their ruling on presidential immunity to whether or not former President Trump is immune from prosecution for actions related to the 2020 election.

In August, Trump was indicted again, with the new charges focusing on his conversations with then-Vice President Mike Pence in his ceremonial role as president of the Senate.

In October, Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered more documents from Smith's 165-page filing to be made public, just weeks before the presidential election.

In late October, Trump's team argued that Smith was unlawfully appointed and attempted to dismiss him from the case.

State cases

Manhattan hush money case

In 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, accusing him of hiding damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The former president of the United States was convicted of a crime and appealed the decision.

The sentencing date for his conviction was initially scheduled for July 11, only a few days before the Republican National Convention where he was to be officially nominated as the 2024 GOP presidential candidate. However, Judge Juan Merchan postponed the sentencing to September 18 and then again to November 26, following the presidential election.

In October, Trump's legal team requested the case against him be transferred to federal court, arguing that he is immune from prosecution due to the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity. Additionally, Judge Merchan will make a decision on Trump's motion to vacate the case on November 12th.

Georgia election case

In August 2023, Trump was indicted in Georgia following a years-long investigation by state prosecutors into his alleged attempts to influence the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

In early 2023, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six of the charges against Trump, stating that District Attorney Fani Willis had not provided enough detail. However, the case was thrown into disarray when it was reported that Willis had an "improper affair" with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she hired to help bring the case against Trump. Wade was later removed.

The Georgia Court of Appeals halted the proceedings in June to consider disqualifying Willis. Additionally, the court announced that it would hear Trump's argument to disqualify Willis on December 5, a month following the election.

On Thursday, when contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital for comment on the president-elect's legal cases, the Trump campaign stated that the American people had re-elected President Trump with a massive mandate to "Make America Great Again."

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung stated that it is now evident that Americans desire an immediate halt to the weaponization of our justice system, as President Trump emphasized in his speech yesterday, in order to unite our country and collaborate for the betterment of our nation.

This report was contributed to by Brooke Singman, David Spunt, and Jake Gibson of Planet Chronicle.