Trump faces packed schedule of court dates for 6 potential trials before Election Day 2024
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump could face six trials — four criminal and two civil — before Election Day in November 2024, putting the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in a situation unlike any faced by a major-party candidate in modern times.
Trump, 77, was indicted Monday by a grand jury in Atlanta on 13 counts under Georgia state law for attempting to reverse his narrow loss to President Biden in the 2020 election.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an elected Democrat, said Monday that she’s seeking “a trial date within the next six months” — putting potential trial dates smack in the middle of Trump’s likely rematch against Biden.
Trump’s other legal woes include a pair of federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith, including a Miami case featuring 40 charges against Trump related to his alleged mishandling of classified records and a DC case on four counts relating to his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss.
Trump additionally faces a trial in Manhattan on 34 counts under Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg that alleges Trump criminally falsified business records when he paid hush money to women claiming affairs during the 2016 election.
Trump also faces a civil fraud case against himself and his adult sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat.
Also in civil court, Trump faces a second defamation trial by write E. Jean Carroll, who won an initial judgment of $5 million from Trump in May. She says Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store in 1996 and falsely denied it.
Trump’s Court Dates During 2024 Election:
Aug. 23, 2023: First Republican primary debate. Trump says he will announce next week whether he intends to participate.
Aug. 25: Deadline for Trump to turn himself in to Georgia authorities.
October 2, 2023: Trump and his sons Eric and Don Jr. stand trial for alleged civil fraud, James is seeking a $250 million judgment and says the family created false valuations of assets.
Possibly Jan. 2, 2024: Smith is seeking a January 2 trial date in his election case against Trump. The date has not been selected, and it’s possible the case will proceed more slowly.
Jan. 15, 2024: Iowa holds the first-in-the nation Republican presidential caucuses. Trump holds a significant lead in available polling, but the state is a particular stronghold for religious conservatives and presents a possible opening for a more conservative challenger.
Also Jan. 15, 2024: Carroll’s defamation case is scheduled to begin in New York. She is seeking $10 million after Trump brushed off her initial victory by telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins the next day that Carroll was a “whack job” with a “made-up story.”
Mid-January to early February 2024: New Hampshire holds the second contest of the Republican nomination. The state is considered a bastion of centrist and independent-minded voters and the results in Iowa could have a spillover effect, either solidifying Trump’s lead or destabilizing his prospects.
Possibly mid-February 2024: Willis’s intention for a trial within six months would mean a trial date in mid-February in the Georgia case.
Feb. 24, 2024: South Carolina holds third Republican presidential contest, giving one of the final early-voting opportunities for Trump and his rivals to define the race. In the 2020 election, the state provided an unexpected break to Joe Biden, reviving his campaign after crushing losses.
March 5, 2024: Super Tuesday contests in 14 states including delegate-rich California and Texas. The lineup includes some states that were holdouts against Trump in 2016 — including Maine, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Minnesota — offering potential opportunity for Trump’s rivals.
March 25, 2024: Trump’s trial is schedule to begin in Manhattan in Bragg’s hush payments case.
May 20, 2024: Trump’s trial is scheduled to begin in classified documents case in Miami.
