Trump was found guilty on all counts. What comes next?

This episode delves into the recent conviction of former President Donald Trump on all 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records, exploring the immediate and long-term implications for Trump and the political landscape.

1. Donald Trump is convicted on all 34 felony counts, a historic verdict for a former U.S. president.
2. The sentencing is set for July 11, with possible outcomes ranging from probation to a maximum of 20 years.
3. Trump plans to appeal the verdict, a process that could extend for several months.
4. Despite the conviction, there are no constitutional barriers to Trump running for president again.
5. The episode raises questions about the future interactions between Trump's legal troubles and his political ambitions.

1: Introduction and Verdict

A brief overview of Trump's conviction and its immediate repercussions. The trial concluded swiftly with a guilty verdict on all counts. Ari Shapiro: "Guilty count 23 guilty count 24 guilty count 25 guilty count 26 after a trial that lasted 21 days."

2: Legal Ramifications

Discusses the sentencing and appeal process, including potential legal arguments Trump's team might raise. Andrew Weissman: "He can't appeal now. He has to first get sentenced."

3: Political Implications

Explores the political fallout and Trump's potential influence on upcoming elections despite his conviction. Unidentified Speaker: "For a story this big one podcast is not enough here at NPR."

4: Broader Consequences

Considers the long-term implications for the U.S. presidency and justice system. Ari Shapiro: "Consider the guilty verdict in Donald Trump's hush money trial answers one question, but it raises others."

• Stay informed about legal proceedings and their implications on political figures.
• Understand the U.S. legal system’s handling of high-profile cases.
• Discuss the intersection of politics and law in community forums to promote civic engagement.
• Monitor upcoming legal and electoral developments related to this case.
• Educate others about the constitutional aspects of felony convictions and political rights.

After a trial that lasted 21 days and a deliberation that took less than ten hours, a Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 criminal felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump says he will appeal the charges, but there are still implications for him, and his ongoing presidential campaign for the 2024 election.

So what grounds does Trump have to appeal these charges? And how long could it take to play out? Attorney and NYU law professor Andrew Weissmann joins Ari Shapiro to map out what the next phase of the Trump trial will look like.

People

Donald Trump, Ari Shapiro, Andrew Weissman

Content Warnings:

None

Ari Shapiro
We are looking now. It looks like we have some of the verdicts coming in. It is quickly coming in here. Guilty count 23 guilty count 24 guilty count 25 guilty count 26 after a. Trial that lasted 21 days and a deliberation that took less than 10 hours, a Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 criminal felony counts of falsifying business records.

The presumptive republican nominee addressed the charges in the lobby of Trump Tower Friday morning. As far as the trial itself, it was very unfair. Unfair or not, the conviction triggers a series of events for the former president, some immediate, others long term. This conviction is historic. Trump is now the first current or former president ever labeled a felon.

But it puts him on a path that others convicted of similar crimes have faced before, like sentencing. Presiding Judge Juan Mershon is scheduled to sentence Trump at 10:00 a.m. on July 11. Before that happens, there is a presentencing interview when a psychologist, social worker, or probation officer interviews the former president. Then comes the pre sentencing report with input from the defense and recommendations for sentencing.

Judge Mershon could sentence Trump to probation or up to four years on each criminal count with a maximum sentence of 20 years. One thing that conviction does not do is stop him from running for president. There is no constitutional prohibition against felons running for president or against serving a term in office while serving a term in prison. A more complicated question is whether Trump can vote for himself. Hes a Florida resident registered to vote there.

Florida requires felons to complete their full sentence, whether thats parole or imprisonment before they can vote. No matter how things proceed, that is unlikely to happen in the next five months. Consider the guilty verdict in Donald Trumps hush money trial answers one question, but it raises others that could affect the future of Donald Trump, the office of the president, and the entire country.

From NPR. Im Ari Shapiro.

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Unidentified Speaker
For a story this big one podcast is not enough here at NPR. We've got you covered from every angle. You can get the news as it happens and legal analysis on the podcast Trump's trials. And for all the latest on what it means for the 2024 election, head on over to the NPR Politics podcast, find Trumps trials, and the NPR Politics podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts.

Ari Shapiro
Its consider this from NPR. Former President Donald Trump has been convicted on all 34 charges in his criminal hush money trial. So now the post trial phase begins. Sentencing is July 11, and Trump has said he'll appeal the verdict. Attorney Andrew Weissman is an NYU law professor and was a lead prosecutor in the Mueller investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election.

We talked about what an appeal could look like and how the next several weeks could play out. Well, let's dive right into what's next for former President Trump. He addressed reporters this morning and said his legal team will appeal the verdict. What does the appeals process entail? Sure.

Well, you know, first, everyone needs to understand as much as Donald Trump has denigrated the criminal justice system, he had a fair trial. He had a jury, a judge, eminent defense counsel. And at this point, he will have a sentencing happening on July 11. And at that point, he is entitled to appeal. He can't appeal now.

He has to first get sentenced. And that takes, the sentencing is going to be quick, but the actual appeal process can take many, many months. For instance, in the civil fraud case where he was unsuccessful, that was an expedited appeal, and that's not being heard until September. So that gives you some data point on which to see that the appeals process takes a while. But in part of that, he will have an opportunity to submit any and all errors that he thinks occurred in his trial, whether factual or legal.

Can you talk us through what some of the possible avenues of appeal might be? What are some of the issues that his team might raise? He could raise an issue with respect to what's called the bump up. In other words, what made this a felony as opposed to a misdemeanor. There were various theories that the state put forward and were submitted to the jury, obviously with permission of the trial court that ruled in favor of the DA.

But those could be raised on appeal to say that, that not all of them or any of them maybe were valid. For instance, one was a federal election crime. In other words, if he had false business records with the intent to cover up or promote a federal election, crime. That was one of the theories that the jury was allowed to decide on. Another theory was a state election crime.

A third theory was state tax crime. And so Donald Trump can say any or all of those are impermissible factors. Other than that, I think that this is a very clean trial. The judge ruled in favor of Donald Trump on a number of issues, obviously ruled in favor of the state on various issues. But I think in terms of the evidence and the way in which the trial occurred, I don't see a lot of appellate issues.

But that's what their appellate courts are for, is that a defense lawyer will make his or her best arguments. But as I said, I think the legal 1 may be the strongest. And just in case people are confused about this, because the case is not in federal court, we are not talking about an appeals process that would ultimately lead up to the Supreme Court. This is an entirely different channel. That is absolutely right.

This is entirely within a separate sovereign, which is the state system, in this case, New York state. So the Supreme Court of the United States should not be getting involved. And many people might wonder, gee, if the Supreme Court were to say there is immunity for a current or former president, that all also should have no effect on this case. Because I think, by all accounts, everything that was charged here and is alleged and has now been found by the jury unanimously, was all about conduct that is personal in nature. That was not conduct that was undertaken by Donald Trump when he was president, in his capacity as president.

So the sentence could range from probation to four years per offense, up to 20 years maximum. What do you think the judge is likely to impose? I don't know, but I do think that you will hear from the state that they will raise factors that go to things that judges consider, such as the risk of recidivism and the lack of remorse. And in that regard, it will be relevant that Donald Trump has violated a gag order ten times and has been found to have done so, that he threatened witnesses, jurors, judges, and family members of judges and prosecutors. His history with respect to having been found to have committed fraud civilly, his history with respect to the tax offense that this judge actually oversaw, which was a conviction of two Trump entities two years ago, all of that can be factored in.

So I think all of those will be things that I suspect that we will hear from the state as to why it would be a conduct sentence to have some form of jail imposed here.

That was attorney and NYU law professor Andrew Weissman.

This episode was produced by Breonna Scott and Katherine Fink. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun, and thanks to our consider this plus supporters who make the journalism you hear on this show possible. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. Learn more at plus dot, npr.org dot.

It's consider this from NPR. I'm Ari Shapiro. When you hear Birmingham, Alabama, you might think about the civil rights movement, but maybe not about baseball. But as the oldest pro ballpark in America, Rick Whitfield saw the struggle for freedom play out right there on the dirt and grass. Hi, I'm Roy Wood junior.

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