Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner

In what should be viewed as a break glass moment - and the final straw on the recusal front - Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon delivers Trump an absolute gift. Although she denied Trump's motion to dismiss his 32 espionage charges, she denied the motion "without prejudice." This means Trump can raise the motion again during the trial, at a time when - if she decides to dismiss the charges - Spe...

Donald Trump's favorite judge and benefactor, Aileen Cannon, held an all-day hearing on two of Donald Trump's motions to dismiss his federal prosecution in Florida for unlawfully retaining classified documents, obstructing justice, and violating our nation's espionage laws. Glenn gives us three of his top takeaways from the court hearing. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer effort...

Judge Scott McAfee, who's presiding over the Georgia state RICO prosecution, granted a defense motion to dismiss six of the charges in the indictment, including three of the charges against Donald Trump. Judge McAfee ruled there wasn't enough specificity in the indictment regarding the precise nature of the crimes being charged. However, the judge told prosecutors - they can cure the technical def...

A longtime Trump employee named Brian Butler has come forward with some of the incriminating information he has regarding the conduct of Trump and his two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. Butler was identified only as "Trump employee 5" in Trump's federal indictment in Florida for unlawfully concealing classified documents, obstructing justice, and violating our nation's espionage...

In three new developments: Judge Mehta orders Peter "Green Bay Sweep" Navarro to report to prison on March 19th; Donald Trump posts a $90 million bond for defaming E. Jean Carroll and promptly defames Ms. Carroll again; and Trump looses big time at the Oscars (and he wasn't even nominated). If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at: &nbsp...

Donald Trump's first criminal trial is set to begin on March 25th. New York state court Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that the jury will remain anonymous in Trump's 2016 election interference case, involving hush money payments and falsification of business records. According to NBC News, Judge Merchan said he 's ordering the jury to remain anonymous "citing a likelihood of bribery, jury tampering,...

Donald Trump has lost civil trial after civil trial in the US. Now, he's an inter- continental loser as the BBC just reported, "Donald Trump told to pay six-figure cost of firm he sued." This latest Trump loss involves a suit he brought against Christopher Steele's consulting firm for information that became public from the Steele Dossier. But this loss comes with a twist: Trump is the one who fil...

Donald Trump is sending his lawyers from one New York courtroom to another, making them repeatedly ask judges to reduce the amount he must put up to appeal his massive losses in both the E. Jean Carroll case and his NY fraud case. Judge Kaplan and Judge Engoron have both told Trump's lawyers they won't reduce the amount. This is unsurprising, given that Trump recently boasted that he is worth $14...

Donald Trump is forever saying he hires only "the best people." Recent developments seem to suggest otherwise. Trump's long-time Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, was previously convicted of participating in a 15-year-long scheme to defraud in connection with his work at the Trump Organization, and he went to prison. Upon his release, he was called as a witness at Trump's New York fraud t...

The United States Supreme Court has dealt American democracy a gut-punch, ruling that state election authorities CANNOT keep an insurrectionist off the state presidential primary ballot... even after a state trial court and State Supreme Court ruled that a person HAD engaged in insurrection against the U. S. But all is not lost: the Supreme Court said there's a remedy . . . Congress can legislate...

In a move that again highlights why Judge Aileen Cannon should be recused from presiding over Donald Trump's federal prosecution in Florida, she refused to set a trial date during a hearing on Friday. This is inexplicable given that Jack Smith proposed a trial date of July 8th and Trump's lawyers proposed one for August 12th. This prompted Jack Smith's prosecutor to tell Judge Cannon that the one...

In a stunning development, the Supreme Court not only decides to take up on appeal Donald Trump's absurd, baseless presidential immunity claim, but they won't even hear oral arguments in the case for nearly two months. And it could take them weeks or months thereafter to decide the case, making it unlikely that Trump's trial for trying to overturn the results of the last presidential election will...

Donald Trump is now in the " F around and find out" stage of his long life of fraud. He must put up more than $450 million in either cash or a bond if he wants to stop New York Attorney General Leticia James from beginning to satisfy the money judgment against him by seizing his property. Insultingly, Trump told the court he will only put up a bond in the amount of $100 million because he doesn't...

Donald Trump is once again turning to Judge Aileen Cannon, hoping that she'll throw him a lifeline. Trump filed a motion to dismiss his obstruction of justice/ espionage/ stolen documents case - claiming that he's the victim of selective prosecution. In other words, Trump alleges that other people who committed the same crimes he committed - haven't been prosecuted, therefore it's unfair to prosec...

It's beginning to feel like the Trump show is in reruns, as gag orders again make an appearance in the Trump trials. Trump may have lost all his civil cases, but his first criminal trial has yet to commence. HIs first prosecution is set to begin in New York on March 25th. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has now filed a motion seeking a gag order in an attempt to protect the witnesses, the...

We are learning more about how Republican Congressmen Jim Jordan and James Comber came to use Russian lies provided by Alexander Smirnov as the basis for an impeachment inquiry of an American president. It turns out that Bill Barr tasked a Republican, Trump-appointed US Attorney named Scott Brady to vet the truthfulness and accuracy of the claims being made by Smirnov about alleged bribes being pa...

Now that we know that Representatives Jim Jordan and James Comer used Russian lies/disinformation to try to impeach President Biden, what should happen to them moving forward? Should they be investigated to determined if they were complicit in a conspiracy with Russia to defraud the United States and interfere in a presidential election? Glenn takes on the implications of the recent arrest of Alex...

Donald Trump has had three massive money judgments entered against him by judges and juries alike. What happens next? Can he get out of it by stalling with appeals? What will the courts do? Property seizures? Liens? Bankruptcy? Glenn discusses Trump's financial . . . predicament, and how he really has no way out this time. Link to Politico article https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/16/trump-civ...

New York Judge Juan Merchan has set Donald Trump's first criminal trial for March 25th. That trial is likely to conclude in early May. At the moment, Trump's second criminal trial is set for May 20th. But that case - his federal trial in Florida for unlawfully retaining classified documents, obstructing justice and violating our nation's espionage laws - is being presided over by Trump-appointed J...

Many people are asking the question: "Can prosecutors really impanel fair and impartial juries to decide the many criminal cases against Donald Trump?" Glenn discusses the selection of the juries that have just ruled against him. Over the course of three trials; 3 juries (totaling 30 jurors) have unanimously found against Donald Trump and his namesake, the Trump Organization. These results provide...

Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis testified in court to refute the allegations leveled against her by the attorneys who represent Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the Georgia RICO case which was brought against them for trying to steal the 2020 election from the people of Georgia. Some critics say Willis' testimony was too loud, too aggressive, too strident, or too angry. But that is nons...

Donald Trump is on an impressive losing streak in his civil trials. He lost in the 1st E. Jean Carroll trial; the 2nd E. Jean Carroll trial, and now his New York business fraud trial. Trump's unabated string of trial losses in his civil cases actually provide some important foreshadowing regarding what will happen in his upcoming criminal trials. Glenn reads his new new piece for MSNBC and discuss...

As it turns out - the first case in which Donald Trump was criminally indicted will be the first case to go to trial. Judge Juan Merchan reaffirmed that Trump's 2016 election interference/hush money/falsifying business records case will begin on March 25th. Judge Merchan issued a 30-page order denying all of Trump's various motions to dismiss the case. Glenn reviews and summarizes the judges denia...

Donald Trump's attorneys have filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to put his DC federal trial on a slow track to nowhere. Trump is seeking a stay (or pause) in his prosecution for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. But the Supreme Court seems to be stepping up the pace by asking Special Counsel Jack Smith to file his reply to Trump's request in only seven days. Gl...

Donald Trump is asking the courts to make up something that does not exist in the law: absolute presidential immunity against being prosecuted for crimes committed while in office. Both the trial court judge and a three-judge appellate court panel ruled that there is no such thing as absolute presidential immunity. Trump has asked the United States Supreme Court to put a hold on his criminal case...