Trump's Terms

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein . Today marks the start of former President Donald Trump's first criminal trial. He is charged with 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. Trump was in the courtroom for the day's events. The morning was filled with pre-trial rulings by Judge Juan Merchan related to evid...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , we hand the mic over to Consider This . On Monday, former President Donald Trump will enter a Manhattan courtroom for his first criminal trial. But before a verdict can be rendered a jury must be selected. And for Trump's legal team that is going to be a challenge. A small number of attorneys have faced a similar challenge — how do you select an impartial jury...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow and Domenico Montanaro are joined by lawyer and former ambassador Norm Eisen . On Monday, former President Donald Trump will enter a Manhattan courtroom as a defendant in a criminal trial. This will be the first time in American history a former president has faced criminal prosecution. Trump is charged with 34 counts related to falsifying businesses...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow is joined by NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson and NYU law professor Melissa Murray . This week Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed one of former President Donald Trump's motions to dismiss the Florida classified documents case. Trump argued that when he left the White House he designated the highly sensitive documents as "personal" under the Presid...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro speaks with Reuters reporter Ned Parker . On Monday Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the New York hush money case, expanded a gag order to protect his own family. That's after former President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked the judge's daughter on Truth Social. In his ruling Judge Merchan wrote, "the threat is very...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow is joined by retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. In Breyer's new book Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism , Breyer explains why he finds textualism's popularity troublesome. Textualism is the legal theory that argues the correct way to interpret the Constitution and statutes is to read the text as it was underst...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , we hand the mic over to the NPR Politics Podcast Former President Donald Trump got a brief reprieve in his New York civil case, as the amount he owes to secure a $454 million bond has been temporarily reduced on appeal. In another New York courtroom the judge overseeing the criminal hush money case set a new trial date — April 15th. The case was originally set...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein . An appeals court has cut the bond former President Donald Trump has to post from $454 million to $175 million in his civil fraud trial. The news came the same day as the deadline before the New York Attorney General could start seizing Trump properties to pay off the massive judgement. And in a separate New...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow and Domenico Montanaro are joined law professor Kim Wehle . On the eve of what should have been the start of the New York hush money trial we dive into the details of the case: Former President Donald Trump is facing 34 counts related to payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels over an alleged affair she had with Trump. The payments were made in th...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein . Former President Donald Trump is claiming he cannot secure a bond for roughly half a billion dollars to cover the judgment from his New York civil fraud trial. Lawyers for Trump claim they approached 30 companies and four brokers and none were willing to give Trump the $454 million bond. Trump has until Mar...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow is joined by Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson and Georgia politics reporter Sam Gringlas . Judge Scott McAfee ruled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on the Georgia election interference case but only if she removes special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Wade later resigned in a letter to the district attorney. Willis and Wade had com...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with correspondent Greg Allen . Judge Aileen Cannon held a pre-trial hearing where Trump's defense team argued two motions to dismiss charges against the former president in the classified documents case. Judge Cannon quickly denied one of the motions but has yet to rule on the other. During the hearing she appeared skeptical of b...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Georgia politics reporter Sam Gringlas . The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case has dismissed six criminal counts against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants. Three of those counts specifically apply to Trump. They all involve alleged attempts to solicit public officials to violate their o...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow and Domenico Montanaro are joined by Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson . Carrie shares new reporting she has on the possible timeline for the federal election interference case. We also discuss Super Tuesday results and if exit polling gives us an indication on how Republican voters are thinking about former President Donald Trump's legal troubles...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , we hear from NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg . The Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump can remain on the ballot in Colorado and other states. The justices concluded the constitution does not allow states to use the 14th amendment to bar presidential candidates from the ballot. Topics include: - Details on the majority opinion -...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow and Domenico Montanaro are joined by constitutional expert Kim Wehle . This week the Supreme Court announced they will consider former President Donald Trump's claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution. That decision has left the federal election interference case in limbo, complicating the chances that the case will go to trial before the No...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Alisa Chang speaks with correspondent Greg Allen . Judge Aileen Cannon held a pre-trial hearing in the Florida classified documents case where former President Donald Trump is facing 40 criminal charges. One of the top issues facing Judge Cannon is confirming the start date, but Friday's hearing ended with no clear answer to when this case might go to tri...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , we hear from NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg . There are lots of questions surrounding the Supreme Court's decision to hear arguments over whether former President Trump is immune from criminal prosecution. The court is notoriously secretive; Nina Totenberg tries to read between the lines for an explanation. Topics include: - Supreme Court's deci...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg . The Supreme Court has decided to hear oral arguments over whether former President Trump is immune from federal prosecution. A three-judge panel previously ruled that Trump did not have broad immunity. The justices will hear arguments the week of April 22nd. Topics include: - Supre...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow and Domenico Montanaro are joined by a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author of three books about Trump David Cay Johnston . Over the course of four weeks former President Donald Trump was slapped with nearly half a billion dollars in legal penalties. First a jury ordered him to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million. Then a judge ordered hi...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Miles Parks and Domenico Montanaro are joined by New York University law professor Melissa Murray . This week we saw developments in all four of the criminal cases facing former President Donald Trump. We also got decision in the New York civil fraud case, where a judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million and banned him from doing business in New York for three yea...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Juana Summers speaks NPR's Andrea Bernstein . A New York judge has ordered former President Donald Trump and his companies to pay nearly $355 million in penalties for inflating the value of his properties and other assets. The verdict also banned Trump from operating his New York business and applying for loans in the state for three years. This follows a...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks NPR's Andrea Bernstein and Georgia politics reporter Sam Gringlas . On March 25th the New York hush money case will go to trial, making it the first time a former president will be defendant in a criminal trial. Former President Donald Trump is facing 34 counts related to falsifying business records during the 2016 campaign in ord...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR's Juana Summers speaks with senior political correspondent Domenico Montanaro . Former President Donald Trump is facing a big week in all four of the criminal cases against him. Two of the biggest developments are set to come out of New York and Georgia. In the New York hush money case, a judge will determine this week if the case will begin as scheduled on...

This week on Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow and Domenico Montanaro are joined by former US attorney and deputy assistant attorney general Harry Litman . It was a big week in the Trump legal world. There was the decision on presidential immunity, spoiler alert - he doesn't have it. And then there were those Supreme Court oral arguments in the Colorado ballot case, where the justices seemed skep...