Former President Donald Trump was arraigned Thursday on charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It was his third criminal arraignment this year, in addition to losing a civil trial.
Trump called Thursday’s events a “sad day for America” and has claimed he is the victim of political persecution, noting his wide lead in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. The former president’s allies say the federal government is being weaponized against him, but Trump’s dates in court are coming from numerous avenues and could continue to grow.
Here’s Trump’s legal calendar.
Aug. 28
During Trump’s hearing Thursday, both sides agreed to meet at the end of the month to set a trial date for the charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
While the government is pushing for a speedy trial, Trump’s defense is aiming to extend the process, with his attorney John Lauro arguing it would be “somewhat absurd” to rush to trial.
Sept. 1
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she would press charges against Trump at some point in August for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential results in Georgia. On Monday, a judge rejected an effort by Trump to get Willis, an elected Democrat, taken off the case and to throw out much of the evidence Willis had gathered during the years-long investigation.
The case is likely to center the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and it could result in multiple members of Trump’s team being charged. Trump has defended the call he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, asking him to find exactly enough votes to defeat Joe Biden in the state as “perfect” and denied wrongdoing.
Oct. 2
New York state Attorney General Letitia James’s civil trial against Trump and the Trump Organization is set to begin. Last year, James accused Trump of “staggering” fraud, tied to lying about property values and his own net worth, in order “to induce banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms than would otherwise have been available to the company, to pay lower taxes, to satisfy continuing loan agreements and to induce insurance companies to provide insurance coverage for higher limits and at lower premiums.” In December, a Manhattan jury found the Trump Organization guilty of 17 counts of tax fraud.
Trump attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed but an appeals court judge rejected that argument in June.
Jan. 15, 2024
On May 9, a Manhattan jury found that Trump had sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil judgment when he said she was lying in her rape allegation against him. A second trial seeking $10 million for defamation is set for the beginning of 2024, with Carroll citing Trump calling her a “whack job” at a May town hall on CNN.
On the same day, the 2024 Republican presidential primary will kick off with the Iowa caucuses. A New York Times/Siena poll of the Hawkeye State released this week showed Trump leading the field with 44% of the vote, 24 points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Jan. 29
Trump and his company are facing a federal class-action lawsuit over claims he promoted a pyramid scheme while hosting his reality competition show “The Apprentice.” Three of Trump’s children — Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka — sat for depositions in the case but were dropped from the suit in May.
March 24
Trump’s first indictment of the year came in Manhattan in April, when he was charged in conjunction with payments made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege that Trump violated campaign finance laws by “repeatedly and fraudulently falsifying New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public.”
Eleven months later, Trump will stand trial for those allegations, generally seen as the weakest of the cases against him. As a criminal defendant in this case, Trump will need to be present in the courtroom.
May 20
Trump’s second criminal hearing this year came in June, when he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami for his mishandling of classified documents and alleged attempts to obstruct justice while retaining them at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Last month, Judge Aileen Cannon said that trial would be held late next spring in Fort Pierce, Fla.
July also brought three new felony charges against Trump, with special prosecutor Jack Smith alleging in a superseding indictment that the former president asked a Mar-a-Lago employee to delete security footage. Like the New York case, Trump will need to be present for this trial.
July 15
The Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee.
Nov. 5
Election Day.