For this episode of Trump's Trials, we hand the mic over to Consider This. Host Juana Summers speaks with defense lawyer Daniel Horwitz. As the first criminal trial for a former U.S. president got under way in New York, Donald Trump looked on as prosecution and defense teams presented their opening statements to the jury. The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, a felony in New York if done to cover up another crime. The prosecution argued hush...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro speaks with NPR political reporter Ximena Bustillo and University of Baltimore law professor Kim Wehle. The first week of former President Donald Trump's hush money trial is in the books and a jury has now been seated. Each potential juror had to answer dozens of questions and prove they could remain fair and impartial when weighing the fate of the former president, who watched the...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR political reporter Ximena Bustillo and domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef. Twelve jurors and six alternates have been selected in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. The jury is comprised of seven men and five women, all of whom will remain anonymous for security reasons. On Thursday one juror who had been seated for the trial voiced concern that identifying information...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR political reporter Ximena Bustillo. After just three days of jury selection, 12 New Yorkers have been seated in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The 12 are made up of seven men and five women, all of whom said they could be fair...

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 evidence and testimony. In the afternoon, 96 potential jurors entered the courtroom where they...

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 when your client is famous? Host Scott Detrow speaks with attorney Camille Vasquez for insight...

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 records. The prosecutor intends to connect alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress...

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 Presidential Records Act. But Cannon has not prevented Trump from using that same argument as part of...

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 real." This follows a recent report out from Reuters that found threats against federal judges,...

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 understood at the time the documents were written. Pragmatism, the legal theory Breyer favors, takes...

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 to go to trial on March 25th but was delayed due to prosecution and defense receiving new...

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 York court, a judge sharply rebuked Trump's lawyers in his hush money criminal case and set a...

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 the fall of 2016, just months before the election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says there's no reason former president Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial can't start next month. Last week Bragg agreed to delay the trial - originally scheduled to begin on March 25th - for 30 days due to an influx of documents from the U.S. Attorney's office. Trump's attorneys have been arguing for an even longer delay of 90 days. Topics include:-...

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 March 25th to file the bond or risk having some of his assets seized. Topics include:- Bond...

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 come under fire for having a relationship that Trump and his co-defendants argued was a conflict of...

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 both arguments presented by the Trump team. Topics include:- Presidential Records Act - Espionage...

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 oaths of office. An example of that is the telephone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of...

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. Topics include: - Timeline for federal election interference case - Supreme Court's Colorado...

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 - Split among the Justices - Possibility of congressional enforcement Follow the show on Apple...

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 November election. Topics include: - Timeline for federal election interference case - Why the...

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 trial. Topics include:- Political calendar vs legal calendar - Timeline with other criminal trials-...

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 decision - Importance of the political calendar - History of the Supreme Court & the presidency...

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:- Supreme Court's decision - January 6th trial timeline - How this affects the other cases Follow the...

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 him to pay nearly $355 million, plus $100 million in interest, for fraudulent business practices. We...