Notably, writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation action was rejected by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which is a major step forward in the legal system. A member of Trump’s legal team moved quickly to ask the Supreme Court to examine the case after the judgment upheld a lower court’s verdict.
Legal counsel for Trump, Alina Habba, expressed her disapproval of the judgment made by the Second Circuit, saying, “The Second Circuit’s ruling is fundamentally flawed, and we will seek immediate review from the Supreme Court.” There was a rush to get this appeal out in time for Trump’s trial on January 16. Carroll is suing Trump, claiming that the president’s remarks made in June 2019 while his presidency constitute at least $10 million in damages.
Former Elle magazine contributor E. Jean Carroll first accused Trump of sexual assault and rape in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. The president’s answer was to deny knowing Carroll and to suggest that she had made up the rape accusation to get publicity. Carroll decided to take legal action in November 2019. In December 2022, Trump invoked presidential immunity to ward off the case, pointing to the special protections afforded to the president from civil litigation during his tenure in office.
Trump sought to have Carroll’s complaint dismissed by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan, but the judge declined, citing the lengthy three-year delay as evidence that the president’s request was “undue” in light of previous court decisions. On the other hand, the Second Circuit panel of three judges reached a unanimous decision. Lawyer Robbie Kaplan, who was defending E. Jean Carroll, was happy with the outcome, saying, “We are pleased that the Second Circuit affirmed Judge Kaplan’s rulings, and that we can now move forward with the trial next month on January 16.”
This is not an isolated legal struggle; Trump has also sought similar protection in his Washington federal criminal case, where he is facing allegations of instigating a riot, interfering with an official proceeding, and trying to unlawfully reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election. Right now, Trump has more support than any other Republican candidate and hopes to face President Biden again in the 2024 presidential race. When compared head-to-head, Trump has a significant edge over Biden and other Republican candidates, according to polls. This includes Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.
The former president’s legal problems continue in the case officially known as Carroll v. Trump, which might affect his future in politics as well as his personal legal struggles.