The Conversation U.S. has commissioned nearly 100 articles relating to the various criminal investigations into the activities of former president Donald Trump before he took office, while he was in the White House in office, and since he left office.
There are four criminal cases that have been made public. It can be hard to keep track of all the different developments in each and what they mean for the country and for democracy.
There are also several civil cases he is involved in.
To help you make sense of it all, here is a list of articles about each of those cases. We have also included articles on related topics, such as the potential prosecution of a former president, the importance of the rule of law to American democracy and some basics of how criminal cases are developed and prosecuted.
Prosecuting an ex-president
- Trump is facing various criminal charges – here’s what we can learn from legal cases against Nixon and Clinton – Jan. 12, 2023.
- As charges loom over Trump, prosecutors come under fire – a criminal justice expert explains what’s at stake – Feb. 1, 2023.
- Trump’s unprecedented call for protests is the latest sign of his aim to degrade America’s institutions – March 20, 2023.
- Prosecuting a president is divisive and sometimes destabilizing – here’s why many countries do it anyway – March 31, 2023.
- How the indictment of Donald Trump is a ‘strange and different’ event for America, according to political scientists – April 4, 2023.
- Donald Trump and the dying art of the courtroom sketch – April 18, 2023.
- The presidential campaign of Convict 9653 – April 18, 2023.
- Do federal or state prosecutors get to go first in trying Trump? A law professor untangles the conflict – June 8, 2023.
- Even after an indictment on federal charges, ‘persecuted’ Donald Trump could win again – June 8, 2023.
- Trump indictments won’t keep him from presidential race, but will make his reelection bid much harder – June 9, 2023.
- Prosecuting a former president is not an easy decision. A criminal law professor explains why – June 13, 2023.
- A jury of ex-presidents? No, but Trump’s fate will be decided by 12 citizen peers, in a hallowed tradition of US democracy – June 15, 2023.
- Trump’s political action committee wants a $60 million refund on paying his legal fees – 3 key things to know about PACs – Aug. 4, 2023.
- Donald Trump’s right − he is getting special treatment, far better than most other criminal defendants – Aug. 9, 2023.
- Hitler, Burr and Trump: Show trials put the record straight for history but can also provide a powerful platform for the defendant – Aug. 11, 2023.
- Trump’s free speech faces court-ordered limits, like any other defendant’s – 2 law professors explain why, and how Trump’s lawyers need to watch themselves too – Aug. 11, 2023.
- Trump’s mug shot is now a means of entertainment and fundraising − but it will go down in history as an important cultural artifact – Sept. 1, 2023.
- Do unbiased jurors exist to serve at Trump’s trials in the age of social media? – Sept. 7, 2023.
- Trump was not king and can be prosecuted for crimes committed while president: Appeals court places limits on immunity – Feb. 2, 2024.
- Trump is no Navalny, and prosecution in a democracy is a lot different than persecution in Putin’s Russia – Feb. 22, 2024.
- Can Trump be prosecuted? Supreme Court will take up precedent-setting case to define the limits of presidential immunity – Feb. 28, 2024.
- Yes, Trump’s PACs really can pay his legal fees – Feb. 29, 2024.
- Trump wouldn’t be the first presidential candidate to campaign from a prison cell – March 15, 2024.
- Nixon declared Americans deserved to know ‘whether their president is a crook’ – Trump says the opposite – March 20, 2024.
- When the Supreme Court said it’s important to move quickly in key presidential cases like Trump’s immunity claim – April 24, 2024.
New York state’s charges of business records falsification
- Manhattan grand jury votes to indict Donald Trump, showing he, like all other presidents, is not an imperial king – March 30, 2023.
- Trump’s indictment stretches US legal system in new ways – a former prosecutor explains 4 key points to understand – March 31, 2023.
- Donald Trump faces his arrest with a public perp walk into a Manhattan courtroom – this could energize, not humiliate, the former president – April 4, 2023.
- Forget Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen – it’s accountants who could seal Trump’s fate – April 4, 2023.
- Trump’s indictment is unprecedented, but it would not have surprised the Founding Fathers – April 5, 2023.
- What Trump’s business fraud charges mean – a former prosecutor explains the 34 felony counts and obstacles ahead for Manhattan’s DA – April 5, 2023.
- Trump’s latest personal attacks on judges could further weaken people’s declining trust in American rule of law – April 6, 2023.
- Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces – including threatening judges and their families – April 10, 2024.
- How jurors will be selected in Trump’s legal cases – a criminal law expert explains – April 11, 2024.
- A monumental case, unfolding in a court of law and a court of public opinion – Trump goes on trial – April 12, 2024.
- How Trump is using courtroom machinations to his political advantage – April 19, 2024.
- https://theconversation.com/what-i-teach-harvard-law-school-students-about-opening-arguments-228366 – April 22, 2024.
- Opening statements are the most important part of a trial – as lawyers in Trump’s hush money case know well – April 22, 2024.
Department of Justice charges for hoarding classified documents
- Special counsels, like the one leading the Department of Justice’s investigation of Trump, are intended to be independent – but they aren’t entirely – Dec. 14, 2022.
- DOJ probes Biden document handling – what is classified information, anyway? – Jan. 10, 2023.
- Trump charged under Espionage Act – which covers a lot more crimes than just spying – June 9, 2023.
- Trump indictment unsealed – a criminal law scholar explains what the charges mean, and what prosecutors will now need to prove – June 9, 2023.
- ‘If you want to die in jail, keep talking’ – two national security law experts discuss the special treatment for Trump and offer him some advice – June 12, 2023.
- How the exposure of highly classified documents could harm US security – and why there are laws against storing them insecurely – June 14, 2023.
- Despite threats of violence, Trump’s federal indictment happened with little fanfare – but that doesn’t mean the far-right movement is fading, an extremism scholar explains – June 15, 2023.
- Trump’s trial will soon be underway in Florida – here’s why prosecutors had little choice in selecting any other courthouse location – June 21, 2023.
- Why Trump’s prosecution for keeping secret documents is lawful, constitutional, precedented, nonpartisan and merited – July 14, 2023.
- Despite calls for her to recuse herself from Trump’s criminal case, Judge Aileen Cannon’s situation doesn’t meet the standard for when a judge should step away – July 25, 2023.
- Trump faces additional charges – 4 essential reads to understand the case against him for hoarding classified documents – July 27, 2023.
- Trump’s classified-documents indictment does more than allege crimes − it tells a compelling story – Aug. 23, 2023.
Department of Justice charges in effort to overturn the 2020 election results
- Even if Jan. 6 referrals turn into criminal charges – or convictions – Trump will still be able to run in 2024 and serve as president if elected – Dec 19, 2022.
- What the criminal referral of Trump means – a constitutional law expert explains the Jan. 6 committee action – Dec. 19, 2022.
- The Jan. 6 committee makes its case against Trump, his allies and their conspiracy to commit an insurrection: Five essential reads – Dec. 20, 2022.
- Targeting Trump for prosecution – 4 essential reads on how the Jan. 6 investigation laid the groundwork for the special counsel – July 18, 2023.
- What is a target letter? 3 things to know about how the Justice Department notifies suspects, like Donald Trump, ahead of possible charges – July 18, 2023.
- Trump indicted in Jan. 6 case – but his 3 upcoming trials may not keep him off the campaign trail – Aug. 1, 2023.
- The most serious Trump indictment yet – a criminal law scholar explains the charges of using ‘dishonesty, fraud and deceit’ to cling to power – Aug. 1, 2023.
- George Washington knew when it was time to go, unlike Trump, because the founders worried about the judgment of history – Aug. 2, 2023.
- Immunity for witnesses is a key tool of prosecutors, whether they’re charging Trump or other alleged criminals – here’s how it works and what the limits are – Aug. 2, 2023.
- Could Trump turn his politics of grievance into a get-out-of-jail card? Neither prosecution nor even jail time have prevented former leaders in Israel, Brazil and Kenya from mounting comebacks – Aug. 2, 2023.
- Trump indictment: Here’s how prosecutors will try to prove he knowingly lied and intended to break the law – Aug. 3, 2023.
- Trump may try to delay his first federal trial – it’s a common legal strategy to fend off a criminal conviction – Aug. 3, 2023.
- A brief history of the Ku Klux Klan Acts: 1870s laws to protect Black voters, ignored for decades, now being used against Trump – Aug. 4, 2023.
Georgia charges about 2020 election interference
- Michigan AG charges 16 people in fake electors scheme: 4 essential reads on how the Electoral College works – July 20, 2023.
- Georgia’s indictment of Trump is a confirmation of states’ rights, a favorite cause of Republicans since Reagan – Aug. 14, 2023.
- Fulton County charges Donald Trump with racketeering, other felonies – a Georgia election law expert explains 5 key things to know – Aug. 14, 2023.
- Black female prosecutors like Fani Willis face the unequal burden of both racist and sexist attacks – Aug. 15, 2023.
- Trump out on bail – a criminal justice expert explains the system of cash bail – Aug. 25, 2023.
- Judicial orders restricting Trump’s speech seek to balance his own constitutional rights – Aug 28, 2023.
- RICO is often used to target the mob and cartels − but Trump and his associates aren’t the first outside those worlds to face charges – Aug. 31, 2023.
- Key Trump co-defendants accept plea deals – a legal expert explains what that means – Oct. 23, 2023.
- Judge nixes some of Georgia’s charges against Trump and his allies − but that won’t necessarily derail the case – March 13, 2024.
- Why Fani Willis was allowed to stay on as prosecutor of criminal case against Trump in Georgia – and what happens next – March 15, 2024.
Civil cases
Trump has also been involved in several civil lawsuits.
E. Jean Carroll defamation
- ‘Strife in the courtroom’ − a former federal judge discusses Trump’s second trial for defaming E. Jean Carroll – Jan. 25, 2024.
- Does Trump actually have to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll? Not immediately, at least – Feb. 2, 2024. -Trump found liable for assaulting, defaming E. Jean Carroll – after a trial where he relied on a discredited myth about how women should react to rape – May 9, 2023.
New York state business fraud
- New York’s $250 million lawsuit against Donald Trump is the beginning, not end, of this case – a tax lawyer explains what’s at stake – Sept. 21, 2022.
- Trump judgments: What’s an appeal bond? What happens if he can’t get a $454 million loan? – March 19, 2024.
14th Amendment and ballot access
- Why 14th Amendment bars Trump from office: A constitutional law scholar explains principle behind Colorado Supreme Court ruling – Dec. 19, 2023.
- US Supreme Court decision on Trump-Colorado ballot case ‘monumental’ for democracy itself, not just 2024 presidential election – Jan. 6, 2024.
- Trump defends himself to the Supreme Court, saying he called ‘for peace, patriotism, respect for law and order’ on Jan. 6 and is not an insurrectionist – Jan. 18, 2024.
- How to read a Supreme Court case: 10 tips for nonlawyers – Jan. 25, 2024.
- Colorado voters seeking to disqualify Trump from the ballot tell Supreme Court Jan. 6 ‘will forever stain’ US history – Jan. 27, 2024.
- Why treason is a key topic in Trump’s 14th Amendment appeal to the Supreme Court – Feb. 1, 2024.
- Supreme Court word-count limits for lawyers, explained in 1,026 words – Feb. 1, 2024.
- Supreme Court heads into uncharted, dangerous territory as it considers Trump insurrection case – Feb. 6, 2024.
- More than 78 ‘friends’ of the Supreme Court offer advice on the 14th Amendment and Trump’s eligibility – Feb. 6, 2024.
- ‘Look for a reversal in a fairly short period of time’ − former federal judge expects Supreme Court will keep Trump on Colorado ballot – Feb. 8, 2024.
- Supreme Court skeptical that Colorado − or any state − should decide for whole nation whether Trump is eligible for presidency – Feb. 8, 2024.
- Supreme Court says only Congress can bar a candidate, like Trump, from the presidency for insurrection − 3 essential reads – March 4, 2024.