In court, Trump’s account of events meets rules he cannot set himself. Allegations must be argued, evidence examined and judgments defended on appeal. These cases trace that contest over conduct and accountability, beginning with proceedings during his second term. Each file separates the accusation from the finding and the latest recorded outcome.
11 case files · presidency-focused collection. The second-term section includes proceedings that continued into this presidency, even where the underlying events were earlier. Civil liability, criminal conviction, procedural dismissal and allegations are different categories. Each file states the date through which its status is supported. Status dates are specific to each proceeding; later developments may require further review.
Matching cases by proceeding type
Civil
4
Criminal
4
Records disclosure
1
Administration litigation
1
Constitutional
1
SECOND TERM
Proceedings during the second term
Cases, appeals and disclosure disputes with recorded developments from January 20, 2025, onward.
CivilStatus through 2026-09-15
Carroll · separate $83.3 million defamation judgment
SDNY · 19-cv-10079 · Supreme Court 26-141
Trump’s involvement: Trump is the defendant in Carroll’s separate case concerning his 2019 statements.
A separate damages trial followed liability determinations concerning earlier defamatory statements.
Court findings / outcome
The jury awarded $83.3 million. The Second Circuit affirmed in September 2025 and denied en banc rehearing in April 2026.
Recorded status
Trump’s Supreme Court petition was pending on the docket checked September 15, 2026. Carroll’s response deadline was extended to October 30, 2026.
The petition concerns this award; the separate $5 million case has its own appeal history.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
Carroll claimed reputational and emotional harm from Trump’s 2019 denials.
Testimony / evidentiary record
The jury heard damages testimony after the liability issues had been decided. The judgment records the resulting award.
Response / defense
Trump contests liability, damages and immunity issues; his petition is linked on the docket.
New York Supreme Court · New York County · 71543/2023
Trump’s involvement: Donald Trump is the individual defendant.
Prosecution over falsified business records associated with reimbursements to Michael Cohen.
Court findings / outcome
The May 2024 jury convicted Trump on 34 counts. The verdict concerns business records and intent; it does not independently determine every disputed underlying personal encounter.
Recorded status
Sentenced to an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025. On August 28, 2026, Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied leave to file a second notice removing the prosecution to federal court. His opinion recorded the state appeal as pending; the federal removal decision is not a disposition of that appeal.
September 2026 state appellate disposition has not been independently verified for this entry.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
Prosecutors alleged records were falsified to conceal an unlawful scheme connected to the 2016 election.
Testimony / evidentiary record
Witness accounts and exhibits were evidence for the jury to weigh. A witness’s account is not, by itself, a finding.
Response / defense
Trump denies wrongdoing and has challenged the prosecution and immunity rulings.
Guilty verdict on 34 counts
Unconditional discharge at sentencing
Federal court denies leave for a second removal notice
Trump’s involvement: Trump is the individual civil defendant; E. Jean Carroll is the plaintiff.
A civil jury awarded Carroll $5 million for sexual abuse and defamation in May 2023.
Court findings / outcome
The jury found sexual abuse and defamation under the civil standard. It did not find rape under the particular New York statutory definition on its verdict form. This is not a criminal conviction.
Recorded status
The Supreme Court denied review on June 29, 2026, and denied rehearing on August 17, 2026. A denial of review is not a new merits ruling.
Collection and enforcement proceedings are outside this status summary.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
Carroll alleged a sexual assault in a department store and a later defamatory denial.
Testimony / evidentiary record
Trump’s October 2022 deposition included his denials. The released recording is testimony, not a judicial ruling.
Response / defense
Trump denies the assault and has disputed the verdict and trial rulings.
Trump deposition recorded
Civil jury verdict · $5 million
Second Circuit affirms the five-million-dollar judgment
Jack Smith’s documents report · the fight over disclosure
Southern District of Florida · related Eleventh Circuit proceedings
Trump’s involvement: Trump and his co-defendants sought to prevent release of the classified-documents report.
The prosecution and public access to its investigative report are separate legal questions. Volume One covers the election case; Volume Two concerns the documents investigation.
Court findings / outcome
The February 23, 2026, order (ECF 779, pp. 14–15) bars release of Volume II outside DOJ. It binds the attorney general and successors; the court did not order destruction of the report. That disclosure ruling did not adjudicate the underlying document-retention allegations at trial.
Recorded status
On June 22, 2026, Senate Judiciary Democrats announced an amicus brief supporting appeals concerning Cannon’s restrictions. Their announcement documents their participation and position, not an appellate ruling.
This entry follows the appeal through its June checkpoint. The linked record does not include a later appellate decision.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
Those seeking disclosure argue for public and congressional access. Those opposing release rely on the dismissal and restrictions on the special counsel’s authority.
Testimony / evidentiary record
The January 2026 House hearing provides Smith’s public account within the restrictions he described. The contents of the withheld volume are not reproduced or inferred here.
Response / defense
Trump and his co-defendants sought to keep the report from publication. Cannon’s stated reasoning tied the restriction to her ruling on Smith’s appointment and authority.
Smith describes restrictions during congressional testimony
Trump’s involvement: Trump was one of the indicted defendants.
State racketeering prosecution concerning efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 result.
Court findings / outcome
The remaining prosecution was dismissed on November 26, 2025, at the replacement prosecutor’s request. That disposition was not a trial acquittal or a finding that all alleged conduct was lawful.
Recorded status
Dismissal reported by Georgia Public Broadcasting; four earlier plea agreements remained binding.
Contemporary reporting quotes the dismissal order and records the case’s conclusion.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The indictment alleged an unlawful election-interference enterprise. Those allegations were not tried against Trump.
Testimony / evidentiary record
The Raffensperger call formed part of the alleged factual background. Separate defendants’ pleas are not a verdict against Trump.
Response / defense
Trump denied wrongdoing and welcomed the dismissal as vindication.
New York civil fraud · liability and changed remedy
New York Supreme Court · 452564/2022 · Appellate Division
Trump’s involvement: Trump, related businesses and other named defendants were sued; responsibilities differ by defendant.
Litigation over financial statements used in business transactions.
Court findings / outcome
The trial court found civil liability. The August 2025 appellate order vacated the disgorgement awards and otherwise affirmed; the former monetary award must not be displayed as a currently payable penalty.
Recorded status
Appellate disposition recorded through August 21, 2025. Later Court of Appeals proceedings require a further docket check.
No claim of a final September 2026 appellate outcome. Civil liability is not a criminal conviction.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The attorney general alleged repeated inflation of asset values and net worth.
Testimony / evidentiary record
Trump gave a video deposition on April 13, 2023. His descriptions of values and disclaimers are testimony, not adjudicated facts.
Response / defense
Trump disputes fraud and argues counterparties were sophisticated and not harmed. The legal effect of those arguments is addressed in the opinions.
Administration litigationStatus through 2025-07-14
Education Department dismantling and staff reductions
District of Massachusetts · First Circuit · Supreme Court 24A1203
Trump’s involvement: The education secretary and administration defended workforce reductions connected to Trump’s closure directive.
States challenged the administration’s attempt to dismantle a department created by Congress.
Court findings / outcome
On July 14, 2025, the Supreme Court stayed the preliminary injunction pending appeal and any timely certiorari proceedings. This permitted the challenged steps to proceed at that stage; it did not repeal the statute or issue a final merits judgment.
Recorded status
Historical interim order verified. A later final disposition is not asserted here.
The dated interim order records the court’s position at that stage of the case. Subsequent proceedings belong to the lower-court docket linked here.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The challengers argued that mass staff reductions would prevent the department from performing statutory duties.
Testimony / evidentiary record
The Supreme Court filing includes the order and Justice Sotomayor’s dissent, joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson. The dissent’s account is not a majority merits holding.
Response / defense
The administration sought the stay to proceed with its restructuring. The dissent argued that the reductions frustrated Congress’s statutory scheme.
President directs secretary to facilitate closure within the law
US District Court · Southern District of Florida · 23-cr-80101
Trump’s involvement: Trump was charged with Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.
Jack Smith’s prosecution concerned national-defense documents retained after Trump left office and alleged obstruction of their recovery.
Court findings / outcome
Judge Cannon dismissed the case on special-counsel appointment grounds on July 15, 2024. The evidence was not adjudicated in a criminal trial.
Recorded status
The case was dismissed; the appeal concerning the remaining co-defendants was abandoned in January 2025.
No inference is made about unreleased report material or subsequent disclosure litigation.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The prosecution alleged unlawful retention and efforts to conceal documents. Each defendant faced specified allegations, not identical charges.
Testimony / evidentiary record
In his January 2026 congressional statement, Smith described sensitive documents stored in a bathroom and ballroom at Mar-a-Lago and alleged efforts to conceal their retention. He said the court’s restrictions prevented discussion of Volume Two beyond public filings. His account is a prosecutorial statement, not a finding after trial.
Response / defense
The defendants pleaded not guilty; Trump challenged the special counsel’s authority.
Relevant earlier cases, including the election prosecution and presidential immunity. Later testimony is included as context.
CriminalStatus through 2026-01-22
Federal election-obstruction prosecution
US District Court · District of Columbia · 23-cr-257
Trump’s involvement: Trump was the charged defendant.
Jack Smith’s federal prosecution concerned efforts to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct certification.
Court findings / outcome
There was no trial verdict. Dismissal following Trump’s reelection reflected the department’s sitting-president prosecution policy; it was not an acquittal on the evidence.
Recorded status
Charges dismissed without prejudice in November 2024. The January 2025 final report records the prosecution’s position and closure. Smith subsequently testified to Congress on January 22, 2026; that hearing did not reopen the prosecution.
Dismissal without prejudice does not itself announce or guarantee a future prosecution. Any later case would require its own legal basis and procedural record; this entry does not predict one.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The prosecution alleged conspiracy, obstruction and interference with voting rights. In his January 2026 statement, Smith described pressure on state officials, fraudulent elector slates in seven states and pressure on Vice President Pence. These are the prosecution’s allegations, not a trial verdict.
Testimony / evidentiary record
Volume One of Smith’s final report sets out the election investigation. His January 22, 2026, congressional statement defended the charging decision and said the investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt. That is Smith’s assessment; no jury tried this case. The full hearing record allows readers to inspect the questioning as well as his prepared statement.
Response / defense
Trump denied wrongdoing and raised presidential immunity and other challenges.
Trump’s involvement: Trump was the petitioner challenging prosecution of acts taken while president.
A Supreme Court decision setting rules for criminal prosecution of former presidents.
Court findings / outcome
The Court recognized absolute immunity for core constitutional powers, presumptive immunity for other official acts and no immunity for unofficial acts. It remanded for further analysis.
Recorded status
Opinion issued July 1, 2024. It did not acquit Trump or determine that every alleged act was official.
Application to other litigation requires that case’s own orders; this entry is not a universal immunity verdict.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The underlying election indictment remained a separate criminal case.
Testimony / evidentiary record
This was appellate legal argument, not a factual trial of witness accounts.
Response / defense
Trump sought immunity; the special counsel contested its scope. The opinion includes majority and dissenting reasoning.
Trump’s involvement: Trump was a foundation director and respondent; the foundation and other directors had separate obligations.
A charity-law proceeding concerning foundation governance and use of funds.
Court findings / outcome
The November 2019 order required Trump to pay $2 million. The foundation’s dissolution and stipulated facts are recorded separately in the court’s decision.
Recorded status
Court-ordered payment was reported completed by the attorney general in December 2019.
This is civil charity-law relief, not a personal criminal conviction.
Allegations, testimony, response & key dates
Allegations
The attorney general challenged political and other non-charitable uses of foundation resources.
Testimony / evidentiary record
Stipulated admissions are identified in the resolution; they should not be confused with untested allegations.
Response / defense
The parties resolved claims through stipulations and court-ordered relief. Those admissions are narrower than every public allegation.