Where Trump's cases stand as Inauguration Day nears
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President-elect Trump cleared another legal hurdle Monday after prosecutors asked that his federal election case be dismissed in light of his reelection.
Why it matters: Trump, the first convicted felon to win the presidency, was facing the prospect of prison time if he lost the presidency. Since clinching the White House, he has seen his criminal cases grind to a halt.
State of play: Ahead of the election, Trump has been indicted in four separate federal and state cases.
- Trump was convicted of fraud in New York earlier this year, while the state-led election interference case in Georgia was already mired in complications.
- Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in his legal cases and repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
- Justice Department policy prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president, and in the days after Trump's victory, Special Counsel Jack Smith began winding down the federal prosecutions against Trump.
Trump's Jan. 6 election interference case
Trump was indicted last year as part of Smith's investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
- Since the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling in July, the case has been on hold while Judge Tanya Chutkan determined how much of it could proceed in light of that decision.
State of play: Days after the election, Chutkan granted Smith's request to pause proceedings in the case and vacated all deadlines in the pretrial schedule.
- On Monday, Smith requested that all charges in the case be dropped and Chutkan granted the request.
Trump's classified documents case
Trump was indicted last summer as part of Smith's investigation into his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.
- Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July after ruling that Smith had been unlawfully appointed, which the special counsel quickly appealed.
- However, in the wake of the election, Smith asked the federal appellate court to pause his appeal.
- Shortly after he asked to drop the charges in the Jan. 6 case Monday, Smith filed a separate motion to drop Trump as a co-defendant in the classified documents case.
Trump's Georgia 2020 election interference case
An Atlanta grand jury indicted Trump and 18 of his allies in 2023 for their alleged efforts to subvert Georgia's 2020 election results.
- Trump's lawyers have appealed a ruling that lets District Attorney Fani Willis stay on the Georgia case despite not disclosing a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
- In early June, an appeals court paused court proceedings until the challenge to Willis is resolved. Oral arguments are set for Dec. 5.
Trump's New York hush money case
Earlier this year, a New York jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
- Trump's sentencing in the case was set for Nov. 26, but that was paused at the request of both the defense and prosecution following Trump's victory.
- Last week prosecutors signaled that they would be open to delaying Trump's sentencing, possibly even to the end of Trump's term in 2029. On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan postponed the sentencing indefinitely.
What to watch: Merchan also granted a request by Trump's lawyers to file a motion to dismiss the case entirely.
- The defense's motion is due by Dec. 2 and the prosecution's response is due by Dec. 9, Merchan said.
Go deeper: Jack Smith drops 2020 election interference case against Trump
